Royal Flush
by MagnaAngel
Summary: Kai falls in love, finally. But there are obstacles to be overcome, many of them. Can he do it, or will he lose the only woman he'll ever love because of something he can't change. She's worth the fight, but is he ready?
1. Chapter 1

It was a hot June afternoon in Paris, France. It was close to the end of the month and a cool breeze was blowing into the hotel suite where five adult men sat, reading, tweaking their beyblades and looking forward to the European tournament they had flown in for that morning. Kai Hiwatari got up from reading his book and walked to the window. Ray Kon watched him as he pulled the curtain to the side and looked out over the City of Lights.  
"What's the time, Kenny?" Kai asked the team engineer.  
"One o' clock here." he replied, not looking up from his trusty laptop. Ray watched Kai a little longer and asked him what he was up to.  
"I was thinking of getting out for a little. We've been here so many times, but we really haven't seen any part of the city but the beyblade stadium." He replied, getting something out of his rucksack. He pulled out his wallet and his beyblade. He walked to the door and turned back to his team.  
"If I'm not back by sunset, come look for me." He said.  
"Why, are you planning to get arrested?" Max asked him, looking up from his beyblade.  
"No, I just might lose track of time." He said to them. He looked away and opened the door. "But you never know." He added, as he walked out the door.  
"He's been really weird the past few days." Max said to the others.  
"Ah, come on, he's about to turn 25, give him some slack. And it's Friday, maybe we should all go out a little." Tyson said to them. They all shrugged and agreed that it was a beautiful day.  
"His birthday's only in August, that's no excuse." Ray said to Tyson, continuing working on his beyblade.  
Kai caught the elevator going down. There was a small girl and her mom in there too. The little girl looked intensely at him. She was obviously a beyblading fan. The mother was too preoccupied to notice her child was reaching out for his leg. The elevator doors opened and he walked out a few steps, then turned around and smiled at the little girl and her mom. The girl burst out into fits of joy as the elevator doors closed. He smiled and walked to the hotel door. Even though he was an adult now, and had decided to ditch the blue war paint, he was still recognized in the streets. He knew he had done something right. He walked across the road into Martial Field where the Eiffel Tower stood intimidating over the green trees and well manicured lawns. June in France was magic. But Paris, Paris is where all the magic happened. The trees were getting into the swing of new foliage and the air was warm and the breeze was cool. The lawns were luminous green and a fair was going on in the park. There were people sitting on the lawns, music filled the air and was heard all over the park and children playing on the playground. But best of all, there were kids blading in the dishes in the playground. Kai smiled and thought that the next world champion might come from this playground. He stopped, leaned against a wall and watched these people, all going about their daily lives, relaxing, having fun. He had only ever seen this park from his fiftieth floor window. He vowed then to himself that whenever he had time to kill, he would come to Paris in June.


	2. Chapter 2

The sight of long brown hair under a big straw hat caught his attention. There was a red iris tucked behind a white ribbon on her hat. It was young woman dressed in a light blue sundress down to her knees. Her hair was loose and reached the middle of her back. She stopped at an ice-cream vendor, offered him some money, but he rejected it. He smiled and gave her an ice-cream. She walked off. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to follow her, speak to her maybe. She walked down the street, waving at everyone. Some men saw her coming down the path and started to show off just as she walked past. She laughed softly and held her hand to her mouth. Kai found himself stopping to absorb the sound. She was enchanting. He found himself following her for a few minutes until she stopped and looked into an alley between two tall buildings. There was a commotion coming from inside the darkness. She stared for a while and then she stopped a little girl, the same one who had seen Kai in the elevator. She handed her the ice-cream she had been given, rubbed the little girls hair and stood up right again. She took long strides towards the alley. She took off her hat and held it in her hand. Kai walked behind her into the alley and stood in the entrance. His experience taught him that girls who go into alleys come out broken. As his eyes adjusted, and he saw three young boys, beating up a much smaller one.

"Hey," the girl said. They all stopped and looked at her. They dropped the little boy.

"Que fais-tu, veux-tu me dire à votre mère ce que les enfants mauvaise êtes-vous?" she said. The language was foreign to Kai, but he guessed it was French.

"Non, s'il vous plaît ne pas." One boy said.

"Savez-vous qui je suis?" she said in French. The sound was as enchanting as her laugh to him.

"Oui, vous êtes son, la, la," one boy stuttered and ran off behind her and out the alley past Kai. The other two ran off behind him. The woman walked up to the little boy they had dropped and help him up.

"Merci, Princesse," he breathed. That's when he saw Kai standing behind her. She stood up and looked behind her. The little boy tugged at her dress and she bent down to hear what he had to say. The words were soft but he could hear them but they were in French and couldn't understand them.

"Cet homme, il m'appelle Kai Hiwatari, le Blader célèbres, de la Bladebreakers. Il est russe." He whispered to her. She smiled and stood right up again.

"Ruissellement maintenant." She said to him, tapping on his back. He ran past Kai into the park and the woman walked up to Kai.

"You never know who you're gonna meet in a dark alley." She said as she passed him. As she did, he looked down and saw a beyblade in her hand. She walked back into the crowd and left him standing there. He looked towards her and ran after her after a few mind-blowing moments. She walked towards a park bench and sat down, putting on her hat again. She looked around and waved to people again. Kai went and sat on a pond rim, and watched her with the sort of enchantment that usually came with a spell. Across the park he saw the young boys who were beating up the little boy, getting a scolding from their mothers. They pointed at the woman, who sat unsuspectingly on the bench. The three women walked up behind her and called for her attention. The woman stood up and the women, who were visibly shocked when they saw her face, spoke for a little while, then they shook hands and the mothers left.


	3. Chapter 3

Her eyes scanned across the park and came to rest on Kai, sitting by the fountain. She smiled and walked right up to him and sat down next to him.  
"You've been following me for a while now." She said looking at him. "Don't you have something better to do?" she smiled sweetly at him. He felt his heart skip and then beat faster than ever before.  
"Not really." He said, leaning back onto the wall. "What did you say back there?" he asked. She looked at him a little confused.  
"You're going to have to tell me when?" she said, leaning back to meet his gaze.  
"In the alley, to those kids. What did you say that scared them so much?" he asked, looking into her eyes. They were brown like chocolate, rich and warm. She smiled and flashed her white teeth.  
"Oh, I just said I would tell their mothers." She said, leaning back and playing with the water in the pond. "Put the fear of God into them a little." She laughed.  
"Well, it worked." He laughed too. He felt so at ease with her and the conversation already, he found it a little strange. "And the little boy, what did he say?" he asked. She looked at him and smiled again. She tended to do that often, the magic of Paris had clearly crept into her heart.  
"I'm getting the idea that you can't speak French?" she laughed and held her hand to her mouth. He wished she wouldn't muffle that perfect laugh.  
"It's a little tough to pick up." He laughed. She laughed and looked up into the clear blue sky.  
"He said that you were, Kai Hiwatari, the famous Russian beyblader. From a team called the, Bladebreakers. Was he right?" she asked, looking at him, with interested eyes.  
"Yes, I am a beyblader, and my name is Kai, I am half Russian, half Japanese but I live in Japan, but he got something wrong." He replied, tweaking her interest a little. She moved closer to him.  
"What did he get wrong?" she asked softly. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear.  
"I'm not famous." He said and she pulled away and looked at him mystified and he began to laugh. She laughed and realized he had played a joke on her.  
"Yeah, that's why a little boy in the other side of the world from where you live recognized you, or rather your hair, in a dark alley." She said, looking up at his hair.  
"What's wrong with my hair?" he asked, reaching for it.  
"No, no, you misunderstand me. It's not bad, it's just, distinctive." She said, trying not to laugh.  
"Okay, now you know my name, and still don't know your name." he said, looking at her. She looked at him, looked him up and down and smiled.  
"Charlie." She said, shifting back to touch the water. "My name is Charlie." She said, looking at her reflection in the water.  
"Charlie, that's a guy's name, right?" he joked.  
"Or a nickname for something longer." She smiled. "Why are you in town, Mr. Hiwatari?" she asked him and smiled.  
"I'm here to compete in the European tournament of beyblading, to qualify for the finals in America next month some time." He replied.  
"You're part of the BBA?" she asked.  
"Yes, how did you know?" he asked. She seemed to cast a new spell on him with every word she said.  
"I read a lot." She said, moving closer to him and leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Don't you think you're a little old to be playing with toys?" she looked at him, trying not to laugh again. She seemed like a very happy person. He wagged his finger, gesturing for her to come closer. He leaned forward and she turned her head for him. She held her ear to his lips and his warm words flooded her ear.  
"Don't _you_ think _you're_ a little old to be playing with toys?" he pulled away and smiled, gesturing to her pocket. She smiled and shrugged one shoulder.  
"Touché, Mr. Hiwatari." She said, reaching in her pocket. She pulled out a white and gold beyblade.  
"Call me Kai, please." He said, looking at her beyblade. It was beautiful. "I see you don't have a bitbeast."  
"Well, Kai. I see no need." She said, putting it back in her pocket. "I don't compete. That's my sister. Alex. She has a bitbeast, Bellona. It's a Snow Leopard. She's good too. She's competing today in fact." She said and he saw a twinge of sadness in her eyes. Was it because she didn't have a bitbeast, or was it something else. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.  
"Well, then why are you in Paris, not to blade, obviously." He asked, looking at his own bitbeast. He couldn't imagine not having one. Dranzer had been a part of his life since he was five. She felt like an extension of his soul.


	4. Chapter 4

"I live in Paris." She said, looking into the sky again.  
"Well, you don't compete; let's see if you're good enough to have that beyblade. Want to have a match?" he asked, challenging her. She looked at him and frowned.  
"I don't know…" she replied, looking at the clock tower across the park.  
"Come on, one little match. Have you got something better to do?" he said, standing up and walking to an empty bey dish.  
"Not really." She got up and ran after him. He stood next to the dish and launched as she got there.  
"I'll go easy on you, and now you have a head start." He smiled at her.  
"You better." She said, launching her blade into the stadium. They span around each other and ducked and dived. They danced around for five minutes and no contact was made. He looked up at her and saw the intense concentration on her face. She was concentrating too much for what she was doing; he guessed she wasn't very good. But she was very good at evasion.  
"Aren't you going to hit me?" she asked him, looking up at him.  
"Ladies first." He smiled and folded his arms.  
"Ok then," she said getting ready to make a move.  
"Charlie, Charlie!" she heard two men calling for her. She looked behind her then back at her blade. She sighed, bent down, caught her blade and turned around to see two police officers walking up to her. "Ici vous êtes..." They said. She sighed and tucked her beyblade into her pocket.  
"Nous avons cherché partout pour vous, venez, il est temps d'aller." They said, taking her hand. The thoughts raced through Kai's mind. She was getting arrested. For what? She hadn't done anything wrong. He walked up in front of her and pushed between her and the police.  
"What has she done, officers?" he asked. The officers looked at each other and then at Charlie.  
"I've done nothing, Kai. Someone has sent them to look for me. They'll be taking me home." She said, taking a step towards them.  
"But we're on a date. You can't leave now, things were getting good." He said, looking at her then at the policemen. The policemen stepped up to Kai and his hand clenched around Dranzer. He could take them. She touched Kai on the shoulder. He relaxed his grip and looked at her.  
"No, Kai. We weren't on a date. I just met you and we had some fun." She said before kissing him the cheek and walking away. "This _was_ fun. Bye, Kai. Welcome to Paris. Good luck in the tournament." She said before the police officers escorted her to a black limousine. Kai stood watching until it disappeared behind a corner.  
"Hey, who was that?" Tyson asked him. Kai jumped from fright and looked at him.  
"How long have you been standing there?" Kai shouted at him. The rest of the team rallied around him too. Great, they were all here.  
"Long enough to see you flirting with that woman." Ray said. "Who was she?" he added.  
"No one. Let's go, it's getting late. You guys still need to get in some practice." He added, walking towards the pathway leading back to their hotel.  
"You know what, I think he likes her." Ray said to Tyson.  
"I agree. I wonder who she was?" he said, walking after Kai.  
"Maybe she'll be at the tournament; she was blading before those cops arrived." Max said as he walked next to Tyson and Ray.  
"Flirting with the enemy. Good one Kai." Tyson laughed. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed without too many events. Breakfast, lunch, watch his team mates practice, go to the window and look for the girl with the straw hat.  
"I can't see her, why won't she come to the park again." He thought. Dinner and then bed. Dreaming, dreaming is the only place he saw Charlie after that day in the park. It was driving him mad.  
"She couldn't live too far; she did walk to the park. Or did she? Maybe those kids know where to find her. Maybe I should be looking for them." He thought. Anything to find her.  
"Kai…" Tyson said but his voice was lost in the ocean of Kai's thoughts.  
"The ice-cream vendor. He's there everyday, maybe he knows…"  
"KAI…" Tyson screamed at him. Kai sat right up in his bed and looked around.  
"Almost time to go." Tyson said, packing his backpack. Kai had lost so much time and lost track of the date. This woman infected his mind and made it a pink swirling, strawberry and vanilla ice-cream cone. He didn't like it much, but he wasn't about to complain. He liked strawberry and vanilla ice-cream anyway. The thought of her made him smile.  
"Look at you, you don't want to eat, you can't sleep and now you're smiling to yourself like an idiot. What did that girl do to you?" Tyson said, sitting on the chair in the corner.  
"What girl?" he said, getting up and walking to the bathroom. He splashed cool water onto his face and stared at himself in the mirror.  
"The one you met in the park, you haven't been you normal grumpy self ever since you met her." Tyson said, folding his legs under him.  
"Well, Tyson, I'm almost 25. Maybe I want to settle down someday. Is there any harm in that? You understand, you got engaged to Hilary last year. Maybe I feel the same." Kai said walking to his rucksack and pulling it closed.  
"With this, girl, what's her name?" Tyson baited him. Kai packed his things up and swung the rucksack over his shoulder.  
"Charlie, her name is Charlie." Kai said, walking up to him. "So, where are we going?" he asked. Tyson stood up and looked at Kai like he had lost his mind.  
"The tournament, it's today. Wow, she really scrambled your brains." Tyson said, walking out the door.  
"Maybe." Kai said, closing the door behind him. They climbed into the elevator and the uncomfortable silence was filled with even more uncomfortable elevator music. The lift doors opened and they walked out to the shuttle that was waiting for them.  
"Come on, we're going to be late." Ray called out to them.  
"Yeah, yeah, keep your ponytail on." Kai said, getting onto the bus and walking to the back of the shuttle, sitting down in the corner. The bus started up and began to drive to the beyblade stadium. As they drove past the park, Kai turned his head and looked for the girl with the straw hat.  
"There she is!" he screamed out loud. "Stop the bus!" he screamed and the driver slammed on breaks. His mind raced and he was about to get up and out the bus when she turned her head. It wasn't her. He sunk down into the seat, folded his arms and looked ahead of him. The team was looking at him over their seats.  
"What you looking at? It's not her, just go." he shouted at them. They all looked at each other and looked ahead of them again.  
"Hey, have you practiced at all?" Ray asked him.  
"No." Kai said. It was the first time in his life that he had been distracted from the goal. The tournament. Winning. All he wanted was to see her again. Speak to her some more. Maybe go out on a real date this time.  
"My mind has been somewhere else." He added, looking out the window. 


	6. Chapter 6

The bus stopped and they got out at the beyblade stadium. They looked around to see if any other teams where here that they recognized. The White Tigers were here, and so were the Majestics, Robert, Johnny, Enrique and Oliver. Kai just smirked at Johnny. They had never gotten over their little altercation in that castle. And to everyone's surprise, the All Stars where here too. Kai realized he had to be in his right mind to beat them all, but there was this niggling little splinter called Charlie in the back of his mind. He walked with his team into the stadium. Ray took their schedule and they made their way to their locker room. Kai sat down on the slatted bench and looked at the schedule. The opening ceremony was today and the actual tournament only started tomorrow. They were blading at two 'o' clock, that left him plenty of time to practice before hand. A man came on the intercom and asked that all the bladers gather in the main arena for the opening ceremony. They all made their way to the arena. Tyson heard Oliver tell Robert that he had heard a rumor that Princess Charlotte would be cutting the opening ribbon. She was so beautiful, even by French standards, he said.  
"Hey, guys, you hear that, a Princess is here." Tyson said, looking at his team.  
"Great." Kai said. A Princess opening a beyblading tournament, what did they expect? She was probably an old lady in new clothes, nothing special. She probably knew nothing of blading. Publicity stunt, probably, Kai thought to himself.  
They reached the arena and the floor was crowded with all the bladers. They merged into the crowd, standing altogether near the front.  
Mister Dickinson made some speech that Kai wasn't really listening to. All he heard was the date, 28th of June, 2010. He had to get his head in the game, but the question was, which game, he thought. Then Mister Dickinson called the mayor of Paris to make a speech.  
"More speeches, get to it already." Kai thought. He had to get to that park by one. Today was the day. He would see her again, today.  
"Now, we would like to greet Princess Charlotte of France to the podium." The mayor said. There was silence as they heard the high heels clattering on the floor as she walked up the stairs to where the mayor and Mister Dickinson were standing. She stepped into the light and everyone gasped. Kai looked at her for just second and looked away. His heart stopped, jumped up into his throat and then he looked at her again. She was wearing a gold strapless floor length dress, with an emerald, silver and diamond crown atop her head. She was really stunningly beautiful.  
"Thank you Mister Dickinson, Mayor Delanoë. Welcome to Paris, bladers." She said. She looked around and touched the railing of the podium.  
"Well, this is as close as I'll ever get to the winners circle, for beyblading anyway." She joked. The arena erupted in laughter.  
"Hey Kai, isn't that…" Tyson asked, looking at her. Kai was speechless. His brain was still scrambled right? He was seeing things. The thing he was seeing now wasn't real, right?  
"No, can't be…" Ray said. They all stared up at her in awe. They were sure it was her.  
"It is, it's Charlie." Kai said, not taking his eyes off her. A Princess, the girl he had feelings for was as inaccessible as a gold bar in Fort Knox.  
"I would like to tell you how honored I am to be opening this tournament. But, I think I just did." She joked. The crowed laughed again. This time, Kai chuckled a little. She was a little funny.  
"But on a more serious note. I was fortunate enough the other day to meet a blader in Martial Field, a funny, strangely captivating man who just happened to be a blader. He taught me something. Even as adults, we can enjoy a game so profound that draws nations together. Beyblading has no religious, race or gender boundaries. Beyblading is truly a unifying sport. And you all being here today, is proof of that. I pray that this kind of unity will spread to other world sports and nations. I hope that we can overcome these horrible problems caused by intolerance, unto warded hate and general disrespect to people by people. I wish you all good luck. This tournament will be the start of good things to come. Let Paris be the beginning of a new world revolution pertaining to peace and understanding. Join me in my wish, bladers. Fight honorably, respectfully and with understanding that not everyone can be a winner of this tournament, but we are all winners in our own game. The game of life." She said. The crowd was in awe of her. She knew so much of Beyblading that it blew everyone away.  
"Princess Charlotte!" some people in the crowd shouted and the stadium erupted in applause and whistles. She took a golden scissors from the mayor and cut the gold ribbon, officially opening the tournament. She handed the scissors back to the mayor and panned her eyes across the group of bladers cheering at her feet. Only one wasn't cheering… Kai. He was staring at her with a slightly gaping mouth. The cat was out of the bag now. She smiled at him, turned around and walked back down the stairs. His heart stopped. He wasn't going to lose her again.  
"I have to speak to her," he said suddenly, running off through the crowd.  
"Kai, wait, she's probably got guards!" Tyson shouted and ran after him. The others looked at each other and ran after them.  
"Stupid Bladebreakers. Don't they know who she is?" Johnny said loudly for all his team mates to hear. They ran after Kai and found him grappling with two guards, with another two standing behind the Princess.  
"CHARLIE!" He shouted down the hall and she turned to see that he was being wrestled to the ground.  
"It's okay. He's my friend." She said and guards let go of him, but they eyed him threateningly. He walked up to her and she turned to face him after saying to the other guards to go get her car ready. The rest of the Bladebreakers tried to get past, but the two guards who had stopped Kai, stopped them too.  
"What are you doing here? The big party has started. You should be having fun." She smiled at him. Kai looked her up and down. She was stunning. The golden dress hugged her every curve better than that sundress ever could.  
"A Princess." He said, stunned. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, feeling hurt. By a woman. This was a first, he thought.  
"You asked me my name, not my title." She smiled and took hold of his hand. He pulled away from her.  
"But Charlie isn't your name either, is it? It's Charlotte. Princess Charlotte." He said, stepping back.  
"Yes, but to everyone who matters, it's Charlie. My friends, family." She said, stepping back from him. He was very angry with her. She had to be ready to move if he got too aggressive, after all, she didn't really know him.  
"That's her; it's the girl who scrambled his brain." Tyson whispered to his team.  
"Why is this the first time I'm seeing this girl?" Kenny asked.  
"When we went to go look for Kai a few days ago, she was with him, they were blading in the park." Ray said.  
"But now she looks different." Max said.  
"She is different. Kai met a girl in the park, a normal girl who likes ice-cream and beyblading. This woman is a royal." Hilary said, in awe of Charlotte.  
"Well, why were you let out of your house, I mean no guards or anything?" Kai asked her. She saw a glint of regret in his eyes. Was he regretting that he had met her, perhaps.  
"I'm free to go where ever I like, as long as a government official can get hold me." She said, turning away from him. Maybe she should have stayed at home that day. It would have caused him no pain if he had never met her.  
"Now, if you will excuse me…" she began to walk away.  
"Can I see you again?" Kai asked before he could stop himself. She smiled to herself and turned to look at him.  
"Tonight I'm having dinner at a restaurant called Le' Paris, at seven. You can meet me there. Just tell the head waiter that you want to see Charlie. He'll understand." She said, turning around and walking off, followed by her two guards. Kai turned around and looked at his surprised team.  
"So… what do you wear to a date with a Princess?" he asked. Hilary smiled. This was her time to shine.  
"Don't worry, I'll help you." She smiled at him as he walked past them into the arena.  
"He has a date, with a Princess no less. Wow Kai, way to pull a rabbit out of the hat." Ray joked.  
"I'm just glad he has a date." Tyson said.  
"Here, here." Max, Kenny and Hilary said together.


	7. Chapter 7

After a few hours of shopping, going through clothes in his rucksack and trying on clothes, Kai was running late. He stared at the ticking clock; it was a quarter to seven and the team was still arguing about what he should wear, how he should do his hair, and what he should do if the paparazzi found him with Princess Charlotte. If he didn't leave soon, he would be late. While they were arguing, he knew that he was not going to make it if he stayed much longer. He pulled on a black shirt and jeans, brushed his hair roughly and sneaked out the door.  
"Hey, where's Kai?" Tyson asked after a while, holding a bottle of hair gel. Kai had caught a taxi and was on his way to the restaurant.  
Five minutes later, he paid the taxi driver and got out. There were a host of photographers outside the restaurant. He assumed Charlotte was already here. He walked in the door and headed straight for the head waiter.  
"I'm here to see Charlie." Kai whispered to him.  
"Oh, right this way sir." He said in English but with a thick French accent. He led him through the rows of tables to a little room in the back of the restaurant. Kai was about to go into the room when the waiter stopped him.  
"Wait, I have to announce you. What is your name?" the waiter asked.  
"Kai Hiwatari." He said. The waiter nodded and entered the room.  
"I'm so sorry to bother you, Princess," he said, bowing as he entered. "But a mister Kai Hiwatari is here to see you." The waiter said and Kai walked out from behind him. She smiled at him put down her glass.  
"Oh, you made it, please come in. Sit down." She said, gesturing to the chair next to him. He sat down and the waiter closed the door. "Wine?" she asked him.  
"A little." He said in a stifled voice. She waved her hand and the waiter standing in the corner came forward to pour him a glass.  
"Hungry?" she asked him. He rolled his eyes. Finally, food and someone that made sense.  
"Starving, what do you recommend?" He joked in his best French accent, that didn't impress the waiter. She laughed and covered her mouth with back of her hand.  
"Well, any meat is delicious, so go with something meaty. But I recommend the fillet." She said, before sipping her white wine and putting down her wine glass.  
"Great, I'll have what she's having." Kai looked at the waiter. He bowed and disappeared into the kitchen. She leaned over to him and smiled.  
"You look very handsome tonight." She smiled at him, slightly averting her eyes. She was very well mannered, even in private.  
"Thanks. You had no idea what I had to do to get away from my handlers." He laughed and took a sip of his wine.  
"Let me guess, they were trying to tell you how to behave in the presence of a Princess?" she asked, turning sideways in her chair to face him.  
"Yeah." He said, looking embarrassed now.  
"Well don't pretend, I want to get to know you, not a mask." She said, moving her chair closer to his.  
"I had no idea that this is the kind of life you live." He said, looking around the immaculately decorated room.  
"I won the genetic lottery. I'm related to the right people. But when I don't have my tiara on, I'm just Charlie. I like ice-cream, long walks in the park and beyblading with my friends." She laughed.  
"Sounds like you're selling yourself." He laughed.  
"I am… in a way. I'm trying to impress you." She smiled at him and blushed.  
"You, impress me. It is I, milady, who should be courting you." He bowed and she laughed.  
"You're really funny. That was a great English accent, for a Russian." She laughed.  
"Thank you, Charlotte." He said. She stopped laughing and smiled.  
"Thank you for using my real name. It's been a while since I heard a man just say Charlotte. Even my sister calls me Charlie." She said, sitting back in her chair with her hands on her lap. There was the sadness in her eyes again. "I miss her." She said.  
"Where is she?" he asked, leaning forward onto the tabletop.  
"In America, she is competing in the first round of the beyblading singles final." She said, and sighed. "She's really good. She will definitely win… again."  
"Why haven't I ever heard of her?" Kai asked, leaning back, running through the names in his head.  
"She is so good she doesn't need a team. She's won five times in a row. Not like me. I can't really do anything. I'm the public face of the family. She's the hero." She added, sipping her wine.  
"That's not true." He said, moving his knives and forks around.  
"Oh, what else can I do?" she asked, leaning forward over the table. He leaned further forward over the table.  
"If there is one thing I learned leading the Bladebreakers, it's knowing how to inspire every member of the team. Even the little guy." He said, almost in a whisper.  
"And…" she urged him on.  
"Today, you had a whole stadium of bladers inspired to do the right thing. To blade from the heart. To keep the beyblade spirit alive. That's something not everyone has." He said, putting his hand over hers. She was struck at how hot his skin felt. She gasped as she looked at his hand and then back at his grey eyes. "You have it." He added. She blushed and turned her head away from him. He was flirting with her, on their first date no less.  
"Well, for the winners of the tournament, there will be an even bigger inspiration to win next year." She whispered to him, still holding her hand under his.  
"What?" he asked. His interest was peaked now. What was the BBA planning?  
"You'll have to win to see." She said. Progressively through this conversation they had been getting closer to each other. Their lips were only inches apart now. He saw that her eyes became soft and dreamy. She felt her troubles melt away and felt herself been drawn to him like a moth to a flame. To him, she was the flame that needed his unwavering attention. They closed their eyes and prepared for the kiss.  
"You're Hors d'oeuvres, Princess." The waiter barged in. They pulled away from each other, letting go of each other's hands, and both were clearly embarrassed.  
"Thank you." She said to him as he put down the plates.  
"Escargot, Princess. Enjoy." He said, leaving the room.  
"Wait, I don't know a lot of French, but that means…" Kai said, looking at the plate covered in cheese and smelling of garlic.  
"Snails. That's right." She said, taking one and popping it into her mouth. She savored it and swallowed, opening her eyes to see his shocked and frowning face.  
"Come on, it's not that bad. Just try one. If you don't like it, we'll order something else." She said. He picked up the fork and tried one. The soft and tender texture wasn't as bad as he had imagined. He swallowed.  
"Mmm, not bad. You have good taste, Charlotte." He smiled and tried another one.  
After mains and dessert, Kai did what any man would do with a woman he liked.  
"Can I take you home?" he asked. She laughed at him and he laughed too, but he didn't know at what.  
"How much have you had to drink?" she asked, looking at the bottle of wine.  
"Well, the bottle is empty, but as I recall, you were drinking too." He smiled.  
"How about I take you home, in my limo? With more champagne." She said, standing up. He got up and opened the door for her. They walked out together, where her limo was waiting for them. A few lucky photographers got a few pictures of them together. They got in the drove away.  
After a few minutes, the limo stopped. She opened the window to look into the lobby of his hotel.  
"Looks like we're here." She said to him. He sighed.  
"I wish this date could go on forever. I wish I didn't have to go back." He said, leaning back in his seat.  
"It's late, and you're blading tomorrow. You need your sleep." She touched his leg. He looked at her hand and she promptly removed it.  
"I'm sorry; it seems I've had too much to drink." She said, looking down at her hand in her lap. He had humiliated her. Maybe he should leave now he thought.  
"Goodnight, Charlotte." He said as he opened his door but she touched his shoulder.  
"The winner will get a kiss from me." She said to him. He sat back down and closed the door.  
"What?" he asked. He wasn't sure that he had heard right. Maybe he had too much to drink as well.  
"The winning team members of the tournament will each receive a kiss from me." She said and blushed. She leant over slowly, watching his eyes and gently kissed him on the cheek.  
"Good night Kai. See you tomorrow." She said. He blushed, smiled and opened the door again. She prepared for the door to slam but instead he sat back down and closed the door. She looked at him.  
"What are you do…" she said before she was stopped mid sentence by his lips silently touching hers. She closed her eyes and kissed him back softly. She leaned into him and laid her hand on his chest, softly tugging as his shirt. He pulled away slowly, watching her dazzling expression. She opened her eyes and started slightly astonished at him.  
"Goodnight, Charlie." He smiled and opened the door, got out and closed it. She blushed as the car drove off into the lit streets and disappeared behind a building. Kai smiled and made his way back to his suite.  
The team was waiting for him, although, asleep. He opened the door and saw them sleeping on the couch. He closed the door softly and tried to sneak back to his room, until Tyson came around the corner with a tub of ice-cream in his hand and a spoon in the other.  
"Hey, how was the date?" he asked and with that the others woke up.  
"You're back, what's the time?" Kenny asked.  
"It's past one." Ray said, looking at his watch.  
"Um, it was good, I think I'm gonna turn in. I need to get in a practice session tomorrow. Goodnight guys." He said and swiftly walked to his room and closed the door.  
"Oh, it was good." Hilary laughed.  
He lay in his bed, looking at the ceiling. He was sure this is what it felt like. To like someone that every second without them was agony, and the moment they met again, would last forever in the space of their minds. He kept seeing her walk up the stairs to the podium, looking like an angel. There were no sounds in his dream, just the sound of her heels on the floor and the sound of his heart beating faster every time he imagined her smiling. 


	8. Chapter 8

Kai and the others woke up and made their way down to the bus.  
"You look slightly better today, more focused." Tyson said to Kai as he got into the bus.  
"Yeah, I feel great." He said, and he wasn't lying. He didn't even have a hangover. They arrived and he got out the bus first, to everyone's surprise. He looked around and saw the familiar black limo parked in the VIP parking. He smiled and quickly walked into the stadium, walking past the locker room and into the main arena. He looked around and saw the only open part of the stadium. She was sitting there, in a private box, looking around. Her eyes met his and she felt her heart stop. She jumped up and waved at him. He waved back and she smiled at him. She sat back down as he disappeared back to his locker room. When the Bladebreakers were blading, she cheered for them, especially Kai as he played the last round for the day. He stalled for time, showing off slightly, using his best moves. He finished the battle with the dish being set on fire and having to be extinguished. She stood up and cheered at the top of her voice for him. He looked up at her and smiled. He bowed to her and she blushed and smiled back.  
And just like that, the matches for the day were over and everyone was getting ready to leave and go back to their hotels. She joined the Bladebreakers in their locker room and it was clear to the whole team that she liked Kai. She flirted with him and laughed at everything thing he said. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear and she blushed. She liked him, but what was even more surprising is that Kai liked her back. 


	9. Chapter 9

After five days of cheering, her team got to the finals. And after a long battle between Kai and Johnny, Kai won, with his usual showing off and setting the dish on fire, and with Ray and Tyson's win, put them firmly in the line for the championships being held next month in America.  
"Could all the bladers please return to their locker rooms as the stadium is prepared for the closing ceremony." DJ Jazzman came up on the intercom. The teams retired to the locker rooms so that the BBA could organize the arena for the closing ceremony. Charlotte sneaked away from her handlers to go see them. She ran down the stairs and up the hall in her heels and got to his team's locker room. She breathed deeply, catching her breath and thinking of the next few hours ahead of her. She opened the door and walked in on the guys taking a shower.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll come back a little later." She said, covering her eyes.  
"No, come in. We'll just cover up." Kai said, stepping out of the shower, dripping wet, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked up to her and looked devilishly at her. She was staring at him, blushing. She bit her bottom lip and looked at his face. He smiled at her, looking her up and down.  
"What?" she asked, when she saw that he was thinking something too.  
"Does the prize still stand?" he asked her. She smiled and blushed even more.  
"It certainly does, Mr. Hiwatari. And congratulations, by the way, to all of you. You performed as per my expectations." She said, looking past Kai at the others.  
"Yeah, thanks." Max said, smiling.  
"No problem." Ray added.  
"Piece of cake…mmm…cake." Tyson said. The team laughed at his bottomless pit of a stomach.  
"And with not too much damage, for a change." Kenny said, looking at the four beyblades on the table in front of him.  
"So, you won." She said, nervously, trying not to look down Kai's body.  
"I always keep my promises." He smiled and she smiled back.  
"So do I. I'll be waiting for you in the winners circle." She said, looking past Kai at the other team members.  
"I'll see you there." Kai smiled back at her.  
"I'll be waiting." She smiled, turning around and repeating herself. She was clearly flustered, being so close to him almost naked. He pulled her back and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away, smiled and put her finger on his lips.  
"Not yet." She smiled and continued to walk towards the door. She looked at him and grappled for the handle and found it eventually. She turned the handle and left.  
"You so have the hots for her." Tyson said, washing his hair.  
"What gave it away?" Kai smiled, pulling off his towel and starting to get dressed.  
She leaned against the door and blushed at the thought of Kai in that towel. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and it looked like he felt the same for her. She saw something move in the shadows down the hall and her heart stopped. She looked down and swore she saw someone standing there.  
"Who's there?" she called out and no one answered. She relaxed and went back to the arena.  
As the bladers gathered on the arena floor, the Bladebreakers gathered on the podium. The mayor of Paris was there and so was Mr. Dickenson. As they all watched, Charlotte made her way up the podium and came to stand next to the mayor of Paris, who offered his hand to her.  
"Now, as per tradition, the European qualifying medals will be handed over by a member of the royal family. Princess Charlotte, would you do the honors?" Mr. Dickenson asked and she took the wooden box and opened it. Nestled inside the red velvet pillow were five golden medals, one for each team mate and their engineer. She handed each one their medal and a kiss on the cheek. Each one blushed and Kenny nearly fainted. In the crowd, they could hear the Majestics sneering at them. She got to the last one, Kai's. She took out of the medal and handed the box to an assistant.  
"So Kai, where would you like me to pin it?" she asked him.  
"You can just give it to me." He said, holding out his hand. She smiled and put the medal in the palm of his hand, which he closed over her hand as soon as she did. He held her hand gently and then the spectators knew that there was something between them.  
"And the rest of my prize?" he smiled at her. She slipped her other hand in his and she leaned in to kiss him on the lips. She crowd went quiet as their lips touched. He reached behind her and slowly pulled her into his kiss. She put her hands on his shoulders and felt the warmth emanating from his body. His rippling muscles under his skin warmed her even more.  
"Well, I guess the rumors are true then. You two are a couple." Mr. Dickenson laughed and they broke the kiss. And they looked at him, and she blushed.  
"It looks like Mr. Hiwatari found love in the City of Lights." The mayor laughed. In the crowd, the Majestics had to pick their jaws up off the floor. This had all happened right under their noses. The crowd cheered for them as they held hands on the podium and took a bow. Kai wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned into Kai and whispered something in ear.  
"I'll be waiting in your hotel lobby. Tonight, you are going to see Paris." She smiled and walked down the podium to go do a press conference and a photo op. They had their own obligations to attend to.


	10. Chapter 10

After the commitments, Kai realized he had left his rucksack in the locker room.  
"You guys go ahead; I'll catch a taxi to the hotel. If you see Charlotte, tell her I'm running a little late." Kai said as he walked down the hall to the locker room. He stopped when he saw that she door was standing a little open, he was sure Max had closed it. He pushed it open and saw nothing. He sighed and walked in to get his rucksack. He looked where he had left it and it wasn't there.  
"Looking for this?" someone said behind him. The door slammed shut and someone locked it from outside. Kai looked up into the familiar face.  
"Ah, not you again, Boris." He said, sitting down on the bench. "I thought after your last miserable attempt, you would have just crawled away into oblivion and died." Kai said, looking at his rucksack in Boris' hand. "Guess I wouldn't be so lucky." Kai added.  
"Death before dishonor. I thought of all people, you would know that, Kai." Boris said as someone unlocked the door. Three huge men walked in the door and they locked it again.  
"What now? You're gonna try to convince me to come back to the abbey." Kai said, getting up and beginning to feel quite angry.  
"Well think again. My life is finally coming together, so piss off. I've got better things to do!" Kai said, grabbing his rucksack from Boris and heading for the door.  
"Ah, your little Princess." Boris said, smiling. Kai stopped and turned to face him. Boris knew he had hit a nerve.  
"You leave her out of this. You won't use her to get to me, you hear!" Kai shouted at him.  
"Take him." Boris said to his goons and they launched at him. They wrestled with him, trying to grab hold of him. Kai ducked and dived, but one guy hit him square in the chest with a clenched fist. He flew back into the lockers. The goon grabbed his throat and squeezed. As he struggled for air, the other guy grabbed him by his shoulders, turning him around and slammed his head into the locker. Kai fell back and grabbed his head. He looked at his hand and saw his blood. The biggest of the three goons picked him up from the floor by the throat again and made him to kneel before Boris. He then lifted Kai's face so Boris could see it, as the goon wrapped his arm around Kai's neck, seizing him in a sleeper hold.  
"You won't get away with this." Kai struggled for breath as he snarled at Boris, blood streaming down his face. The man began to apply the sleeper hold to Kai's neck. As his vision failed, Boris leaned closer and whispered something in his ear.  
"Charlie is next." He said just as Kai lost consciousness. He flopped down to the floor, hitting his head on the floor again. Boris looked at the two men and nodded for them to carry Kai out.  
"Go get her." Boris ordered the other man left and the other two carried Kai to the awaiting car. 


	11. Chapter 11

After doing her press conference and signing autographs, Charlie got into her limo.  
"Step on it Frank, I have a hot date tonight." She said, looking in her handbag for something.  
"Right away miss," the man said in a Russian accent.  
"Hey, stop mocking Kai, he doesn't speak like that." She smiled to herself at the thought of Kai and touched up her makeup.  
"I know." He said in the Russian accent again.  
"I said stop." She said, threateningly now. The man turned his head and looked at her.  
"You're not Frank, where is he?" she asked, looking around.  
"In the trunk." The man said. She looked at him, then at the trunk and began to think. She was being kidnapped. Kai would be waiting for her and she would be late at the very best.  
"Come on, just let me go and I won't report you to the police." She said sweetly. The door opened and another man got in. He had a brown bottle and a rag with him. She moved away from him and reached for the door handle but it was locked from the driver seat.  
"You'll never get away with this." She said as he opened the bottle and she smelled the ether.  
"Wanna bet?" the man said, emptying some liquid onto the rag and pushed it up against her mouth. She tried not to breathe but she realized had to sooner or later. She might as well get it over with. This guy was way too big for her to take on alone. She breathed in and the cool dryness flooded her lungs and she felt her senses dulling. She dropped onto the seat, unconscious.  
"Step on it, Boris is waiting for us." The man in the back said, opening a bottle of champagne. A worried onlooker had seen the man get in next to the Princess and had alerted the police. As the limo drove off, the police sirens went on and they raced after it.  
"They know we're kidnapping her, step on it!" the one man shouted to the other. He got onto the freeway and raced towards the airport.  
"Get the airport on the phone; we need to shut them down. They're going to skip the country." The Police Chief said at the deputy. The limo ducked and dived into and out again of rush hour traffic. Sometimes, he even cut onto the other side of the freeway into oncoming traffic. They threw down spike strips, but the royal limousines were designed to take this kind of beating, and keep the princesses safe. The wild chase went on for nearly an hour until the limo reached the airport. All the planes had been grounded and airport security was ready to help get Charlotte back. As the car stopped, the driver got out and held up his hands.  
"If you come any closer, we will kill her." The burly Russian said.  
"Okay, okay. Just let us see her." the chief said. The Russian opened the door and the other man climbed out. With the help of the driver, they picked Charlotte out off the car and showed her to them.  
"She's alive, but we're going to leave with her." the second Russian said. The Police Chief ordered the lowering of all weapons and they watched helplessly as they carried Charlotte towards the plane. The Police Chief felt he had to try to negotiate with them one more time, before it was too late.  
"Please just tell us what you want, we'll give you anything, just give her back." The Police Chief said.  
"We want her, just let us take her and she will live, for now." The last man said as the climbed onto the plane. The police and airport security watched mournfully as the door closed and the plane started up.  
"Call the chief of the air force. I want recon planes to track them." The Police Chief ordered and a man radioed the defense HQ. Before the plane was in the air, the recon plane was circling overhead at a safe distance. He would follow them as long as he could.


	12. Chapter 12

"Where's Kai, he wouldn't go on the date without coming here first?" Ray said.  
"Maybe he already came here and left." Hilary said.  
Then there was a knock at the door. Hilary answered it to see the Police Chief and five officers there.  
"Are you the team they call, the Bladebreakers?" He asked.  
"Yeah, that's us." Tyson said, walking past her.  
"We have some bad news for you. Your team mate and Princess Charlotte have kidnapped." He said sadly.  
"Kidnapped! Kai… Charlie." Tyson screamed.  
"By whom?" Ray asked.  
"We have no idea. May I come in?" he said, walking in the door. Hilary closed it and she walked to join the conversation.  
"We were tracking the plane, to try and get some intelligence as to the kidnapper's identity." The Police Chief said, sitting down in a chair.  
"Plane, where the hell are they taking them?" Kenny asked.  
"From what we can tell, Russia." The Police Chief said. "The recon plane I sent after them had to turn back at the border, escorted by two Russian fighter jets." the Police Chief added.  
"Wait, let me try Kai's cellphone." Tyson said, picking up his phone and dialing Kai's number.  
"It's ringing." He said. The team gathered around to hear if they could hear anything. Then the dial tone died.  
"It just… stopped." Tyson said, looking at Kenny.  
"The phone has been destroyed." The Police Chief said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.  
"We'll help with anything. Just let us know." Tyson said.  
"First, tell me who you believe might be behind this attack." The Police Chief called for someone to take notes.


	13. Chapter 13

Charlie awoke to the sound of something being crushed. She opened her eyes and saw a hazy figure lying next to her. She blinked a little and saw that it was Kai. He was bleeding from his head. She looked around and saw a red headed man standing on the opposite side of what sounded like a plane. He looked at her and stepped off of the cell phone he had just crushed. He looked at her and smiled. Then he opened a bottle of ether and poured some onto a rag.  
"No, please don't." she begged as Tala pushed the rag to her mouth. She struggled against the ropes but eventually, she passed out again. 


	14. Chapter 14

When she felt her limbs coming back to life, she felt trapped, tied by something. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. The room was almost completely black. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she saw Kai chained to the wall in front of her. He was looking at the door but at least he was alive. His head had been cleaned up. She looked behind her and her hands were tied together. She was tied to a chair. She was very cold. The ice breath escaped her lips like it was a waterfall. He heard her breathing and looked at her.  
"Hey, you're awake, you ok?" he asked her.  
"Yeah, just a bit of a headache, where are we?" she asked, looking to the door. It was wooden with metal bars over the window. She guessed it was a dungeon of some sort.  
"My guess, Russia. Again." He said, looking at his feet. He kicked at the ground. "But I don't know where in Russia. This isn't the abbey." He said, looking around.  
"Hey, are you okay, your head." She said, gesturing at his blood stained face.  
"It's just a bump. Got into it with Boris' boys. They gave me a little trouble." He said to her.  
"Abbey, what abbey, and Boris, who is Boris?" She shivered.  
"You cold?" he asked.  
"What gave it away?" she joked and shivered at the same time. The door creaked open and two figures stood in the doorway.  
"He's Boris." Kai said as he and Tala walked into the room. Boris focused on Kai, while the red head looked at Charlotte and smiled wickedly at her. If that smile had been on Kai's face it would be handsome, somewhat seductive, but when _he_ looked at her like that, it sent a cold shiver down her already freezing back. Tala watched her as she watched Boris talk to Kai.  
"So, Kai, you've come home." Boris said to him holding his arms out as if to hug him.  
"LET US GO YOU Psycho." Kai shouted at him. Boris shook his head and looked at Tala. Tala was still smiling at Charlotte; it was starting to freak her out.  
"Can you believe this Tala, he thinks we kidnapped him and brought him here.  
"At least he brought a treat with him." Tala looked at Boris, then back at Charlie. "Yeah, funny." He said, not looking at Boris again. Boris turned back at Kai.  
"You'll warm up to us again, Kai. You just don't know it yet." Boris slithered  
"Never, whatever you have planned, forget it." Kai said, looking at his feet. He knew Boris was planning something, why else would he have kidnapped Charlie too.  
"Join us, and you can have your old friend back." Boris said to him.  
"I don't want it back. It nearly killed me last time. I won't use it again." He shouted at him, straining against his chains. Boris stepped back, turned to face Charlotte and smiled at her, who had been too freaked out to say anything up to this point.  
"I'm afraid when the time comes, Kai, you won't have a choice." Boris smiled to himself.  
"I've been there; I've been that powerful. I don't want that again. Not now. Now that I know better." Kai said softly, remembering the last time he swayed to the overwhelming amount of power Black Dranzer offered to him.  
"You've been a part of our family for so long, now. Do you remember what it's like to have a normal family, Kai?" Boris said. Kai turned his face away to hide the tears for his parents and his grandfather.  
"No, we have always been your family. And ever since you left, we have not been whole. Help your family now, Kai. Please, come back to us." Boris slithered with silvered words. Boris reached into his pocket and pulled out a black beyblade. Kai looked at it and was enchanted by it instantly.  
"Black Dranzer, she's always been yours. And you tasted but only the tongue of her power. Take her again. And experience her full force for yourself." Kai tore his eyes away from the mysterious black blade and looked Boris in the eye.  
"Unlock me. Now." He demanded. Boris smiled, stepped forward and unlocked him. He fell to the ground and landed on his feet like a leopard. He stood upright and looked at Boris.  
"Why did you bring her with?" he asked Boris. Boris looked at her and smiled. She felt like running and the urge overtook her and she began to cry quietly.  
"For motivation. If you still refuse us." He looked back at Kai. Kai smiled at him and laughed a little.  
"I'm an adult now, you can't threaten me anymore. I'm leaving, and I'm taking Charlie with me. You can't stop me." He said. He made to walk to Charlotte but Tala pushed him back.  
"Tala, my fight isn't with you. Let us go." Kai threatened him.  
"It is, Kai. Join us, or you will regret it." Tala threatened him right back.  
Kai smiled and flew into Tala. The two exchanged blows and kicks with each other. Kai landed a punch in Tala's face, bloodying his mouth. Tala lifted his leg and kicked Kai in the stomach with a martial arts inspired move and he fell back into the wall.  
"KAI!" Charlotte screamed as he fell to the floor at the foot of the wall. Tala ran up to him and began kicking him. "PLEASE STOP, FOR ME!" she screamed at Tala with tears running down her face. Tala stopped and looked at her with a blood running out his mouth. He walked towards her and ran his fingertips across her lips.  
"Leave her alone!" Kai stormed at him again and knocked him to the opposite side of the room.  
The sound of a gun shot and the smell of burnt gun-powder filled the room. Charlotte looked at the door and saw a guard with a smoking rifle in his hands. She looked back at the two boys and saw Kai lying lifelessly on top of Tala as Tala pushed him off of him, panting from the fight.  
"NO, KAI!" she said and he didn't respond "KAI!" she shouted again, crying and strained against her ropes. She had to get to him, now. She watched as Tala got up and walked up to her. She stopped shouting and cowered into the chair although she felt like hiding in the corner under his wolf-like gaze  
"He's not dead, just tranquilized, like an insubordinate beast." He said, running his finger over her lips again. She looked down at his finger then back at his eyes, his ice cold, blue eyes. She opened her mouth hand bit towards it.  
"Whoa, you bite." He said, pulling his hand away from her face. "I like it." He smiled at her. Boris looked at her.  
"Is there anything we can do for you, Princess?" Boris asked.  
"Let us go, please." She said, watching as Kai was dragged out the room. Boris laughed.  
"Anything but that. Anything else?" he asked.  
"Well, some warm clothes would be nice. And something for my headache." Boris looked at Tala and nodded at him. He left the room to go get her the things she had requested.  
"Boris, why am I really here. My government will pay handsomely for us. Just let me talk to them and they'll pay the money." She begged him.  
"I have no intention on making money off of you, Princess. I wasn't lying. You're here to motivate Kai to join our team." He said, sitting on another chair in the room. "You will be here as long as Kai is needed here." He said. "He'll be here for a very long time if his attitude doesn't change." He added.  
"Well, I haven't known him for very long, but he seems like the type of guy not to be pushed into anything he doesn't want to do." She said. "Please untie me, these ropes are cutting into me." She asked. He smiled, got up and walked over to her. He untied her as Tala walked into the room with warm clothes. She rubbed her wrist where the rope had cut into her skin slightly.  
"That's why you're here. You're right. But I've been dealing with Kai since he was about five. I know how to get him to do anything I want. It all starts with leverage." He said. He looked at Tala and Tala took her by the arm. His hand was scorching hot against her cold skin. She gasped and looked at him.  
"This way, Princess." Tala said, walking her out the room and down a dark hallway. 


	15. Chapter 15

She could hear the sound of chanting, beyblading and screaming children in the darkness. But she couldn't see them. They were close, close enough to touch, hold and comfort. Tala led her to a door and opened it for her. She walked in to find a room made up for her, nothing fancy, but at lease she wasn't going to be sleeping on the floor. She turned as she heard the door slam behind her. Tala was in the room with her, smiling. She stepped back from him. He made her very uncomfortable, but she felt strangely attracted to him. He just stood there and stared at her.  
"What?" she asked after a few seconds of silence, hugging the clothes close her chest. He stepped towards her.  
"I've never met a Princess before." He said clearly and smiled at her. She stepped back more.  
"Then I should tell you you're making me very uncomfortable." She said backing up more. He kept walking towards her. She felt her back hit the cold, hard bricks.  
"Nervous I can handle, anxious, terrified even," he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "But not uncomfortable." He whispered. She was frozen in place. This was bad, very bad. He had taken Kai so easily. He would overpower her if he wanted to.  
"Please leave." She said, turning her head away from his and not looking at him. He stepped back and smiled.  
"I'll get you, eventually. Kai won't be able to have you all to himself for long." He said, leaving the room. He walked down the dark hall to the control room, a room in the building that housed the monitors for all the cameras in the building. He saw that she was sitting on her bed, crying. He smiled just as Boris walked in.  
"What is your infatuation with this girl?" Boris asked him. Tala smiled as she took off her dress and changed into her long pants, long sleeved shirt and jacket.  
"She has a very good body. Slamming, I believe the youngsters call it nowadays." He smiled as she sat down on her bed.  
"When you're done with her, I want her." He said, and looked at Boris. "Give her to me." He said, turning back to see her covering herself with a blanket. "To do with what I wish." He smiled at the thought.  
"We'll see. Maybe I'll have to kill her to get Kai to join." Boris said as they watched.  
"Try not to." Tala smiled.  
"I'll try. Now, don't spend the whole night here, get some practice in." Boris said as he walked away.  
"Whatever." Tala said as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Tala watched as Boris went to go see her. The door opened and she stood up. He came in and closed the door. He bowed and came into her space.  
"Is Kai okay?" she asked him.  
"He's fine. Just sleeping." He said, sitting on a chair in the corner.  
"What do you want with him?" she asked, sitting on her bed and folding her legs under her.  
"When Kai's parents died, his grandfather, Voltaire sent him here. He told me to make Kai the strongest blader the world had ever seen. Kai had Dranzer and she is strong, but Voltaire wanted him to have an even stronger bitbeast. Defeat should have never been experienced by Kai Hiwatari." he said. "So, I set out making a stronger version of Dranzer, but I failed, then I found her by mistake one day. Her name is Black Dranzer and she is the strongest bitbeast in the world." He said.  
"Then you don't know very many. I know of another one that has that classification." Charlotte said.  
"Ah, you see, Black Dranzer's power is drawn straight for her blader. She can be unstoppable with the right wielder. Anyway, when Kai was seven, Black Dranzer was ready for testing. One night, he broke into the lab and stole her. He went down to the dish room and launched her. At that moment, she and he became one. Together, they damn near destroyed the abbey we lived in. Ever since then, we have tried to use her, but only Kai can wield her to her full potential. And with him on our side, Voltaire plans to conquer this world." He explained calmly. She sat back and laughed.  
"The whole 'take over the world' thing. Many have tried, not one has succeeded." She said. "But I still don't understand what I'm doing here." She added. He looked at her and smiled.  
"Kai will not take her back. Unless motivated to do so. That's where you come in. You will motivate Kai." He said. She looked at him like he had lost his mind.  
"If you and Voltaire think I'll help you get to Kai, to help you destroy this world, you're horribly misinformed." She sneered at him.  
"Oh, you won't do it consciously. Come with me, please." He said, getting up and walking away. She thought that this might be her chance to get away, so she followed him. She followed him through twists and turns to a dark room. He flipped a switch and it lit up. It was a beyblading dish. There were a lot of thick wires hooked up to it. At the end of those wires was a huge metal ring. One that was big enough for a human to be hooked up to.  
"When you are cuffed up to that ring, I will flip a switch, and Kai will have to take Black Dranzer to save your life. Or you will die. Not much of a choice, seeing as he's your boyfriend." He gloated with his invention. This was her chance. As he explained to her how his invention worked and began mono-logging, she softly stepped back and when he wasn't paying attention, she turned and ran for her life.  
"SOMEONE, CATCH HER, FOR GOD SAKES, CATCH HER!" Boris shouted. She ran hard and fast and she was almost back at her cell. She ran past it and looked for an exit. Tala had seen her take off. He had left the control room and was running up the corridor towards her. She had to remember where Kai was being kept, how to get out. She was unconscious when they brought her in.  
"Light, air movement, anything, I have to get out." She breathed to herself. She ran furiously but when looked behind her to see if Boris was behind her, ran right into Tala. He locked his arms around her waist and held her tightly. She could hear Boris and the guards coming down the dark hallway.  
"Please, Tala just let me go. Please, he's coming..." She struggled against his muscles and looked behind her. She clawed at his arms and chest, trying to get out. She was wriggling and writhing in his arms and nothing was working. His arm-lock was airtight. He wouldn't let her go. She thought of the only way to distract him long enough for him to relax his arms around her. She turned to face him and she caught his icy gaze. She pushed her lips to his and before she could stop him he had plunged his tongue into her mouth. She hated him, but there was something else too, just below the surface of hate. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. In that moment, she wanted him to let her go, and not to at the same time. Instead of letting her go, his grip increased and she broke the kiss with a scream. He was squeezing her so hard she felt her ribs move under his muscular arms.  
"That won't make me let go of you. It will make me sneak into your room at night." He smiled at her. "I have her, Boris." He shouted into the darkness. Boris appeared huffing and puffing.  
"Good, Tala…" he wheezed. "Consider your…request, granted." He smiled at him, still puffing. "Now take her to her room and chain her up." He said, still wheezing.  
"With pleasure." He smiled wickedly and dragged her off to her room kicking and screaming. She pulled against his arm, screaming for him to let her go, until he stopped. He turned to her, and she stopped and looked at him nervously as he bent down and lifted her off her feet and lifted her onto his shoulder. He carried her as she punched at his back and screamed loudly out into the cold air, back to her room. He opened the door, threw her inside, walked in and slammed the door behind him. He ordered the guard to dead bolt it and turned to face her. She got up and backed up. She felt like a lost little lamb being cornered by the big bad wolf. He looked at her like she was the little helpless sheep and he was the extremely hungry wolf. He walked up to her, grabbed her by the arm and threw her on the bed. He scrambled on top of her and pinned her down with her hands up above her head, and she fought against him feebly as he chained her, first one wrist then the other, to the bed. He sat back and admired his handy work.  
"Man, you're really are giving me a work out." He smiled. He leaned back down and touched her lips with his, just scraping the skin, teasing her. What was this thing inside her telling her to kiss him? The feeling of pins and needles ran up and down her spine. She felt him wrap his arm around her waist gently and pull her up against him. She felt like pulling away from him. Then she felt his hard muscles under his clothes moving against hers. He opened her mouth slightly and he kissed her, slipping his tongue in and out of her mouth. His mouth was hot and his hands strong and confident. She found herself wrapping her chained hands around his neck and pulling him aggressively down against her. She was strangely attracted to him. Inexplicably so, she was so terrified of him; but she couldn't stop herself from finding him utterly seductive. He stopped himself from pulling down the zip in front of her jacket and taking her for himself. He gently broke the kiss and watched as she was petrified and seduced by him at the same time. The look on her face was priceless.  
"Not bad, hey?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her on the neck. She arched her back involuntarily and this thrust her hips into his. He stopped and looked down at her hips.  
"I'm sorry. It's, just, so..." She panted the words softly to him forgetting the last word of her sentence. He smiled and kissed her on the lips, lifting them away just as she went in for another deep kiss.  
"Soon, Princess. Just convince Kai to join us." He whispered to her. For a second, she considered it.  
"Kai…" she thought. She wanted Tala so badly she had forgotten about Kai. She writhed under him, wanting him to get off now, but all it did was making her grind her hips against his and make her want him even more, and he her. He felt his body temperature rising and he opted to get off of her. He looked at her, chained to the bed. It would be so easy. Kai would be very angry if he stole his new girlfriend right from under his nose, with a timely seduction. But he wouldn't, not tonight.  
"Be good, and I'll come and unchain you after my practice session. Or I'll leave you chained up and finish what we started, whatever you want." He winked at her. He knocked on the door and the guard opened it for him before he walked out, leaving her chained up.  
"PLEASE ANYONE, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, LET ME GO, PLEASE!" she screamed over and over again. The tears were streaming down her face and making her face and neck damp. It was cold and dark and she was sad and wet. She curled up and went to sleep, crying.


	16. Chapter 16

Early the next morning, before she could get some decent sleep, she felt the cuffs around her wrists lift off. She was lifted up off the bed and thrown over someone's shoulder. She felt them begin to walk but she was too tired to see where they going with her. They walked for a long time before they stopped and she lowered onto the cold hard floor. She opened her eyes and saw Boris standing in front of her. Tala was standing nearby, watching over them.  
"What's, going on?" she whispered.  
She was cold and tired; she would not attempt to escape today. She wouldn't get very far if Tala was chasing her. Boris nodded and two men lifted her onto her feet and carried her backwards. She felt cold metal clamp down on her wrists and ankles. She looked around and saw she was cuffed to the ring Boris had showed her last night. She watched as Tala clamped the last one around her ankle. He looked up at her from the floor.  
"Tala, please, don't." she begged as tears streamed out of her eyes. He stood up and touched her face.  
"Sorry. Orders are orders." He whispered.  
He wiped her tears away, turned and walked towards Boris. She fought back her tears and faced Boris.  
"This is it, your make 'Kai an evil machine' plan?" she asked.  
"Yes. And I think, once the last player joins us, it will work quite effectively." He smiled. He looked to his henchmen. "Go get Kai." He ordered. Tala followed them to Kai's cell. 


	17. Chapter 17

In his cell, Kai was waking up from the drugs. He was tired despite being out for how many hours. He got up and stumbled to the door. It was locked from the outside. It dawned on him that he might not get out of this one. He looked for something to lever the door open and his eyes came across something on the table. It was his old blade, Black Dranzer. Boris must have left there. Just being in its presence, he felt the surge of power from her hit him. He reached out for it, but caught himself. He pulled back his hand.  
"Damn it." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out Dranzer.  
He backed up and launched her as quietly as possible. He aimed all her power at the door. She slammed into the door and span in place for a few seconds. Flames rose up out of her and filled the room. Kai covered his face and waited for the heat to die down. It went dark and became cold again. He opened his eyes. Everything was still the same. The room was probably fire proof. Tala peeped through the metal bars.  
"If you're ready to see what the deal is, you can come out." He said, unlocking the door.  
"Bring Black Dranzer with you." Tala ordered.  
He grabbed the damn blade as the door creaked open and Kai walked into the light. Kai looked at Tala. At one time he had considered him almost a friend and now, he was holding him and his girlfriend captive.  
"If you try to run, I'll shoot her myself." Tala said, walking off. "Follow me please." He said, as he rounded the corner.  
"Don't play with me Tala. I know you won't hurt her. Not after the way you were looking at her yesterday. You want her." Kai said as he walked after him.  
"You know me so well." Tala smiled back at Kai. "I do. And if you run, she will be mine. And you won't be able to get her back from me. That I can guarantee you." He said as they came to a metal door.  
Tala opened it and walked through. Kai followed him. As he walked in, he saw that Charlie was cuffed to a huge metal ring. Boris was in the room too. There were wires all over the floor and all of them between a beyblade dish and the metal ring Charlie was in.  
"What is this?" Kai shouted at Boris.  
"My leverage." Boris smiled as Tala pushed Kai into a sealed off part of the room, around the ring and the bowl.  
"You know Kai, the world thinks you kidnapped a Princess of France." He said, taking Black Dranzer from Tala who had lifted it off Kai. "They're looking for you."  
"What is your damn plan, Boris?" Kai shouted at him.  
Boris smiled and held out Black Dranzer. Kai looked at it and felt the power pulsing through his veins, more with every heartbeat. It was velvet covered wrecking ball, the silver fang of a venomous snake. He felt his will wavering with the sweet feeling of supremacy playing in his head. Boris smiled when he saw the look on Kai's face. The same look he had when he first touched Black Dranzer all those years ago. He looked over at Tala, who was standing next to the ring that Charlie was cuffed to. He nodded back and touched her face. She awoke quickly. She was tired and had fallen asleep. She looked around and saw Kai.  
"Kai, you're okay." She shouted at him.  
He didn't answer. He was too preoccupied with his new blade. Boris nodded to Tala. He walked over to the wall and put his hand on the huge metal switch.  
"Kai, this dish and ring are rigged up to the building's power supply. When Tala flips that switch, the circuit will be complete and 100 000 volts will run through that ring." Boris explained. Kai looked up and saw that Charlie was awake.  
"Through her." Boris pointed at her.  
"What, but she'll…" Kai said, looking at Charlie, Tala, and then Boris.  
"That's right. She'll die, the only way to break the circuit, is by blading with Black Dranzer in this dish. Every time it stops, the electricity will flow again." He smiled sadistically at Kai and looked at Tala.  
Tala nodded back and flipped the switch. The lights flickered and dimmed. The hum of electricity filled the room and before he could scream for him to stop, Charlie was shaking violently in the ring. His mind went blank, and then he realized in a split second what he should do. Without thinking of the consequences, he looked at Boris, who had thrown Black Dranzer into the air and was coming down in Kai's direction. He jumped up into the air, grabbed it. He loaded it into his launcher and before he even landed on the ground, it was spinning in the dish. He fell back to earth and landed on his feet. He looked down and realized that it was all over. The power emanating from Black Dranzer was calling to him, this was going make or break him, and he had a sinking feeling in his stomach it would break him, or at least the person he thought he was. The hum stopped and he looked up at the ring. Charlie was sweating and breathing heavily. He sighed, she was okay and alive. He stood up and looked at Boris, who smiled at him.  
"Welcome to the team Kai." He said to him, closing the door to the Perspex chamber.  
"This game isn't over yet." Kai said to him. He was trying to convince himself. "How long must this go on for?" Kai asked him, looking at Charlie. She looked tired and he guessed she couldn't take another shock without…damage, he thought.  
"As long as it takes." Boris added. Kai looked at him and snarled.  
"As long as what takes?" he shouted back.  
"For you to sign the contract." Tala said to him, holding a clipboard.  
"Never!" Kai shouted at him.  
"Suit yourself; just remember you can't blade forever." Tala said. They turned and walked out.  
"Watch me." He said, walking over to Charlie. He looked up at her and touched her face.  
"I'm so sorry for dragging you into my past." He said.  
"It's…okay." She wheezed.  
He looked at the ring. It was simple metal. He knew Black Dranzer could cut through metal. He commanded it and Black Dranzer flew at the cuffs, sending sparks flying in all directions. He ordered it back before the current started up again and looked at the cuff and there wasn't even a little scratch.  
"Black Dranzer proof. Clever, Boris." He said, sitting on the ground. She watched him for a while as he sat and meditated quietly in front of her.  
"Can you feel the power? What's it like?" she asked him.  
"Sorry?" he asked. He hadn't heard her. He was trying not to let the power get into his head.  
"Is it strong?" she asked, looking at Black Dranzer spinning silently in the center of the dish like an assassin.  
"Yes." He replied, looking at it spinning in the center of the dish.  
"It's been spinning for ten minutes, aren't you getting tired yet?" she asked him. He shook his head.  
"I have a lot in me. I can go for hours." He replied, "I must just not allow it to get inside my head, or its game over…" he looked up at her. "For me anyway." He smiled at her. She mustered her best smile for him. He looked at the blade.  
"Why did you say it nearly killed you last time?" she asked him.  
"I nearly sank to the bottom of a frozen lake, all because of it and what it had done to my head. I thought I was invincible, but I wasn't." He sighed.  
"Oh." She said to him. A few tense minutes passed and she broke the silence eventually.  
"You know, if you show no interest in me, they'll probably see that this is futile and let me go, and then I can go get help. I'll come back for you. Promise." She said.  
"That won't work. They know that I care for you and that I am very much interested in you. They'll never let you go. They'll probably…" he stopped.  
She was a princess. He had almost forgotten. She knew nothing of the kind of people they were dealing with, what they were capable of. That they had killed people before.  
"I know." She said. He looked up at her. "I know I seem like I know nothing, but when I look at how they think, what lengths they would go to, to get to you. They will probably… kill, me, when I'm of no use to them anymore." She hung her head.  
"I won't let them. I'll find a way to stop them. I promise." He said, watching her tear drops fall on the ground in front of her.  
She was so delicate. She couldn't survive here for long, not like him. He stood up and wiped away her tears. He had to come up with a way to save her. His mind set in motion, figuring out a way.  
After a few hours of keeping the blade spinning, he felt himself slipping towards the seduction of the pure, unbridled power. He felt himself getting addicted to the increasing power of Black Dranzer, being drawn into her ambush like an ant into an Ant Lion's trap. He stood up and looked at Charlie. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Dranzer. He pushed it into her pocket.  
"What are you doing?" she asked him. He sighed and looked up at her.  
"It's too late… she has me." He said, looking over his shoulder at it. "It's game over for me. Please remember me as I was in the park. I can feel myself… slipping." He said, looking down. "There is no telling who I will be tomorrow." He said. He looked up at her one last time.  
"Get out. At all costs, get out. Dranzer will help you." He said. He took the blade out of her pocket and looked at it.  
"Dranzer, look after her. She is your new owner. Protect her with your life." He said. A tear rolled down his check and landed on the blade. She glowed red for a second and stopped. He stuffed it back into her pocket and leaned up to kiss her. His kiss was weak and feeble. She felt his control… die. She had lost him. He broke the kiss and walk up to the Perspex wall.  
"OKAY!" he shouted. He turned to her and she saw nothing behind his eyes. The kai she knew was gone. His handsome face was still there, but his soul wasn't. Black Dranzer must be very powerful, she thought, Just a few seconds ago, he was her Kai, now, he was Boris and Voltaire's.  
"I'm sorry." He said before turning to face the door.  
She looked away from him, and felt a tear roll down her face. It was like watching your boyfriend get killed in front of you, but still seeing him walking around, and talking. It killed her.  
"Okay Boris, you win, now uncuff her and bring the contract." He shouted. A few seconds later, Boris and a guard walked through the door. A guard entered the Perspex room, walked up to the switch and flipped the switch back up. Kai called Black Dranzer back. He caught it with the grace of an eagle. The guard uncuffed her and she fell forward, and her feet landed on the floor. A guard caught her, steadied her on her feet and carried her off. She turned back to see Kai signing the contract. He looked mournfully at her, and then back at Boris, who laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled.  
"NO KAI!" she shouted back at him.  
She made to get away but the guard was too strong and she was weak. He threw her over his shoulder and carried her off to a cell. The door creaked opened and she was thrown in. She landed on the cold hard floor and she felt some of her bones creak. She turned over and slammed her fist into the floor, if somewhat feebly. 


	18. Chapter 18

She looked up and was not surprised to see Tala in the room. On the table was some food.  
"I thought you might be hungry." He said, helping her up and sitting her down at one end of a table. She wiped her tears away and tried to smile.  
"You'd be right." She said softly, as he sat down at the other table and taking a piece of chicken off the silver platter.  
He joined her for dinner. She watched him throughout and he said nothing. She was waiting for the seduction to begin.  
"You know, you're the only woman in the building." He said, sipping on his silver goblet, leaning back against the chair.  
"Why do you tell me this, Tala?" she asked. She hadn't forgotten that he was the one who flipped the switch.  
"Well, I was going to tell you that I find you utterly, enchanting, captivating, attractive, but I suppose…" he said, putting down his goblet and getting up.  
He walked over to her and touched her cheek. "I'll have to show you how much." He smiled devilishly. She got up and touched his hand.  
"Please Tala, I don't want to." She whispered.  
He didn't stop stroking her cheek. He had placed his hand under her chin and was pulling her lips to his. She felt her hand react and slap his across the face.  
"I SAID, NO!" she shouted at him. "You will only touch me when I give you permission." She shouted at him.  
He looked at his hand that had just come from his mouth. She had actually drawn blood. He smiled and wiped it away with the back of his hand. He stood right up and looked at her. She saw the glint in eyes turn aggressive. He walked up to her, grabbed her throat and slammed her down onto the table. He knocked all the plates and goblets off and was holding her down. He pinned her down with his body and hips and held her face still.  
"I will do whatever I want with you." He said, forcing his lips against hers.  
He slipped his bloody tongue into her mouth and whipped it around. She felt another urge to hurt him and clamped her teeth down on his tongue. She felt his skin rip and the blood come oozing out into her mouth. He stepped back and swore at her. She spit out the blood onto the grey floor and turned to see him looking at his bloody hand. She got up and ran for the door but he stopped her. He pushed her into the wall next to the door. He slammed his fists into the wall next to her face. She was trapped. She looked away as he pinned her to the wall with his body.  
"I have never been afraid of a little blood." He said. S  
he pushed him away but he pushed her against the wall again and thrust his hips into hers, pinning her against the wall again.  
"Tala, please, I've never…" she pleaded with him.  
He stopped in his tracks. The aggressive glint had disappeared and his eyes were cold and calculating again.  
"You mean, if I go any further, I will be the first." He smiled.  
She began to cry and nodded.  
"You and Kai, never had sex." He asked, dumbfounded.  
"No, I've haven't know him that long." She said, sobbing.  
He moved away from her and thought for a second.  
"How old are you 21, 22?" he asked.  
"23." She sobbed. He frowned and looked at her.  
"Well, you're obviously waiting for the time to be special. All the girly stuff." He said, looking at her.  
"Yes, with someone I love." She said, looking at him. He slammed his fist into the wall again and looked at her trapped between them.  
"This would be so much easier for me if you were not a virgin." He said. She sobbed and looked at him as he thought to himself silently.  
"Well, I won't take you tonight. But I will have you. And you will come to love me." He said. She had to convince him. He was her ticket out of here.  
"_Get out, at all costs…"_ Kai's voice rang out in her head. She lifted her shaking hands off the wall and slowly lifted them his face. She cupped his face with her freezing, shaking hands.  
"I have no doubt that I will, love you, if you be kind and gentle with me." She whispered out of pure fear. He saw the fear in her eyes and stepped back.  
"I'm sorry. I forget sometimes that women are more fragile than the bladers I battle." He sighed.  
She walked up to him touched his shoulder. He looked at her and smiled.  
"Tala, I'm not very strong. I'm not built to take a beating. I'm like a little songbird, tied with a silken thread. I don't have the strength to pull away, so don't keep me for your own selfish reasons. If you love me, tell me, and I will stay. I won't need a silken thread." She said.  
He touched her face and he cocked his head to the side.  
"You're so beautiful." He said as he leaned in to kiss her. She stopped him with a finger on his lips.  
"Gently." She asked him. He smiled and moved her hand away.  
"Always." He said, gently pressing his lips against hers.  
She felt him run his hands down her sides and pulled her up against him. She also felt a tear roll down her face. He wasn't crying, she was.  
"Kai, I'm so sorry." She thought just as Tala lifted her up off the ground and pressed her up against the wall.  
She had lost Kai. He was gone. Tala was her only chance to get out alive now. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled herself up against him. She didn't completely mind. He was an attractive young man who liked her. Did he love her, or did he lust after her. She wasn't sure. She felt his confident hands reaching for the zip in front of her jacket and pulling it down. He ripped it off her shoulders and revealed her silky skin to the freezing cold. She was wearing a black bra under her jacket. He threw her jacket on the ground. He put her down before he stepped back. He pulled his jacket off over his head. He dropped it on the ground and stepped towards her.  
"And, do you want me yet?" he asked her.  
She looked him up and down. His strong muscles stood proud under his ice white skin. She felt her body warming up to the thought of him. She reached out for him and he took her hand. She pulled him closer and he pressed his hot body against her freezing one. His skin was so warm, it burned hers, and she didn't mind. She pulled him closer to her. He lifted her up off the ground and carried her to the bed and lay her down. He unzipped his pants, dropped them to the ground and climbed on top of her. She kissed him but as he reached for her pant's zip, she stopped his hand. They broke the kiss. He watched her as she panted the words.  
"You promised." She whispered. He sighed and looked at her.  
"I thought that, maybe, if I played the right cards, you might let me." He said, panting himself.  
"No," she said, stroking his face. "I want to get to know you first." She smiled and kissed him.  
He went in for one last kiss and broke, lifting himself off her. He put his clothes back on and she sat up in her bed.  
"I'll be going then." He said, walking to the door. "Goodnight." He said, opening the door.  
"Night." She said, as she lay back down on the bed. She felt nothing. She was numb. She felt the cold wetness of her tears running down her cheek as she closed her eyes and tried to dream of Kai. Then she heard some one speak.  
"_Charlotte."_ Said a voice. She sat up and Dranzer fell out of her pocket. She fell onto the floor and began to spin spontaneously.  
"We'll get out." Charlie said, picking her up off the floor. "You and I. We can do it. Together." She whispered. Dranzer glowed in her hand and Charlie felt like she had a friend in this dark time. 


	19. Chapter 19

Over the next few days, she watched Kai from her cell. He was training so hard. Training to breaking point, cracking under the pressure, then getting up and doing it again. Every time before he launched Black Dranzer, he glanced in her direction. Then after he launched, the building shook at Black Dranzer's power level. She dropped to the ground with the door at her back and realized that he was lost. She looked at Dranzer in her hand. She was her only hope now. Tala liked her too much now to let her go. And he had something to look forward to. To be the first to have her, like some trophy he could put on his mantel.  
"Tomorrow. We're getting out of here tomorrow." She said to Dranzer.  
She stood up and looked at Kai one last time. Sweat was dripping from his face, but he refused to stop, to relax, to help her.  
"Goodbye Kai." She said, walking over to her bed and sitting down and waited for Tala to bring her supper.  
She felt the last shudder of the building straining under Black Dranzer for the night and sighed. Tala would be here soon.  
Soon after, there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in." she said, standing up.  
She was sure it was Tala, but when she saw the familiar silhouette in the doorway, her heart skipped. It was Kai.  
"Kai, you, came to see me." She walked up to him and touched his shoulder.  
He looked at her with such cold indifference. She stepped back and remembered what he had said.  
"_There is no telling who I will be tomorrow_." the Kai she knew was gone. She sighed and turned her back on him.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Tomorrow, you will be moved down to the lab holding cells. Boris says you're distracting me from my job." He said, closing the door behind him.  
"Oh, well. Then so be it. Not that you should be distracted by me. You don't know me, or rather," she turned to face him. "I don't know you." She said, crying on the inside.  
She turned away and then a few moments later felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw him, her Kai. His eyes stunning grey, clear and intelligent. Her heart skipped to her throat.  
"Charlie…" he whispered.  
"Kai," she said. Pressing her lips against his and hugging him. "I thought I had lost you." She whispered.  
"As far as they know, you have, but tomorrow, is your chance to get away. After those lab doors close… I don't have access to the lab." He sighed.  
"There's no telling what they can do in there." She said.  
He looked at her for a second and smiled. The first time she had seen him smile all week.  
"What?" she smiled back.  
"This is the last time…" he said, taking her hands in his and kissing them lightly. "When I help you tomorrow, they might," he stopped and looked at the door. "I have no idea what they will do to me." He said, looking into her chocolate brown eyes.  
"Then stay with me tonight. Please. This may be the only chance we have…" she stopped. Tala would be here any moment.  
"He won't be coming tonight. He's gone into town to recruit some more kids." He said. She sighed with pure relief and looked at him.  
"Good, he scares me. He reminds me of a wolf." She said, thinking of the look in his eyes.  
Yes, definitely a wolf.  
"Well his bitbeast is a wolf. I'll go get you something to eat, and then I'll be back, ok." He said, walking towards the door.  
He opened it and left. She sat on her bed and waited for him. Should she, ask him to join her in her bed tonight, or was it too soon. After being absorbed in her own mind for a while, she heard the door creak open. It was Kai, back with some food. He set it down and pulled out the chair for her. She walked over and sat down.  
"It's not fillet, but it'll have to do." He smiled, sitting down next to her.  
"Kai, I have to say that I'm not very hungry right now." She said, getting up and walking to the center of the room.  
He got up and walked up to her and folded his arms around her shoulders from behind.  
"Too cold?" he asked. She shook her head. She turned around in his arms and looked into his grey eyes.  
"I have something else on my mind." She said, tugging at the zip of his jacket. He grabbed her hand and looked at her.  
"Charlotte, are you sure?" he asked.  
"Kai, this time tomorrow, you could be dead. I could be dead." She looked away. "If there is one thing I've realized in here, is that…" she stopped and worked the words over and over in her head.  
She looked at him, took a deep breath and let her feelings take shape into the words she had been so desperate to say to him.  
"I love you, Kai. And tonight may be the only night we have…" she stopped.  
"Kai, tonight, I want you to make love to me. Tonight is all we have. Let's act like this is our last night on earth." She said, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see an image of herself in his eyes, blushing.  
She felt the heat reach her face. She felt a hand on her jacket zip. She opened her eyes and saw him with his hand on her jacket zip.  
"I agree." He said. She smiled and put her hand on his cheek.  
"That's all you have to say." She smiled at him.  
"That, and…" he couldn't believe he was saying it.  
But he couldn't hide it anymore. Everyone knew anyway. It was time that he said the words that his mother had said to him the last time he saw her. The last time he had heard those words.  
"I love you… Charlotte." He said, leaning in to kiss her. She felt his hand slowly pull down her zip. He opened her jacket and she felt the cold air hit her skin. She gasped as he pulled her jacket off slowly. He took her jacket and threw it over the camera in the corner of the room. He came back and saw her shivering. He took off his jacket slowly and as she watched he dropped it onto the ground. His muscles were strong and unbreakable under his velvety pale scarred skin. She looked at him and slowly walked towards him. She reached out for him and put her cold hands on his blazing hot stomach. His skin was on fire compared to hers. She guessed it was from all the training, or perhaps from the power of the black phoenix surging through his veins, muscles and body.  
"And the scars?" she asked, running her hands over the angry scars all over his body. She looked up at him, blushing.  
"A particularly tough battle, a few years ago." He said, covering her hands in his and bringing them towards his lips.  
He kissed her cold hands and wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her naked skin touched his and seared into her mind like a hot coal. He was just so extremely scorching hot. The prince of fire, she thought to herself. She found her hands wandering down to his belt buckle and unclipping it. At the same time as she heard the hard metal of the buckle hit the ground, she heard Dranzer hit the ground. Kai had undone her pants and let them drop to her feet. They looked at Dranzer on the floor, just peeping out of the pocket of the pile of clothes. Kai picked it up and looked at it. He walked over to the table and put her on it. He picked up his jacket and threw it over her. He watched as she walked up to him and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled him up to his lips. She stopped him with a finger on his lips. She looked at the table.  
"What was that for?" she whispered.  
"I don't want her to spy on us." He said, moving her finger, leaning over, kissing her and then he kissed her even deeper. He pulled her up off the ground and carried her to the bed. He lay her down and she watched him as her heart thrashed in her throat, as he gently lowered himself onto her. His body was searing and his hands confident. His mouth was blistering hot and sweet. She kissed him deeply and slowly. He reached around her hips and pulled her closer to him. 


	20. Chapter 20

Somewhere near midnight, Charlie woke up from a nightmare and sat up in the bed. She looked behind her and Kai was still there, fast asleep. She smiled and lay back down. She took his hand and laid it over her waist. She felt his heart beating in his chest against her back; the slow, strong, steady rhythm hypnotized her. She lay close to his warm body and savored this moment. No one knew what lay ahead tomorrow. This might be the first and last time they were ever together. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of tomorrow. She would remember this night forever, how he was here with her. All that mattered was here and now. Her and Kai. Together.

Early the next morning, she felt a sudden cold gust down her back. She opened her eyes and saw Kai getting dressed.  
"Kai? What's going on?" she asked him. He pulled on his jacket and smiled at her.  
"It's almost time to start training; they'll wonder where I am." He said, sitting down on the chair to do up his shoes laces.  
"So today's the day." She said, getting up and getting dressed herself. Without Kai to keep her warm, it was very cold indeed.  
"Yeah, now when they opened the door, take Dranzer," he said, taking the blade off the table and loading it into his old launcher.

"And aim right at the door. She'll burn the guards and give you just enough time to get out. I'll be here, in the auditorium, waiting for you. When you run, I'll run after you and help you get out. Once you're out, run for the woods." He explained quickly. She nodded and tried to take it all in.  
"When they find out you helped me…when Tala finds out…" she said.

The thoughts raced through her head. The torture methods they would use to kill him.  
"They'll do some pretty nasty things to me, but I can take it. As long as you get out and they can't use you to hurt me, I'll survive." He said, getting up.

She looked at him. She was nervous and scared. He knew she wasn't any good at blading. He reached out for her, pulled her against him and hugged her close.  
"Dranzer knows everything you need to know. Just keep her in mind and she'll be at your side. Just talk to her and she'll understand." He smiled at his old beyblade. "She's a very smart phoenix." He said, looking at her in his launcher.  
"You know, a phoenix was the sacred bird in many religions, but particularly ancient Egypt." She said, leaning against his chest to hear his heartbeat one more time, fighting back the tears.  
"I do." He said. He took her trembling hand and kissed it.  
"I've always wanted to go Egypt. See the pyramids, palaces, tombs." She laughed with a tear rolling down her cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.  
"You can still get to go. If everything goes well." He said.  
"They say that standing in the burial chamber of the Great Pyramid is an experience that can only be explained as magic." She said and looked up at him, into his grey eyes.  
"The only thing better than that, would be holding your hand as well." She said to him. "Kai, please come back to me. After last night…I want to see the world with you. I want to go on more dates with you. I want you to teach me to blade," she laughed. "And maybe I can kick your butt one day." She laughed a nervous little laugh.  
"I'll teach you. But you'll have to practice for a few years to be able beat me." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. She broke the kiss and smiled at him. He let her go and walked towards the door.  
"Whatever." She said as he walked towards the door. He opened it and left, locking it behind him so no one who get suspicious.  
"Couldn't you just let me out?" She asked as she sat down on bed. She saw him appear back at the window and she ran to him.  
"If I let you out, they'll know it was me, and you won't get very far without feeling like coming back for me." He smiled, and stuck his hand through the bars. She took his hand.  
"When I get back to France, I'll come back for you, with the whole army if I have to." She cried.  
"Don't." he said, letting go of her hand. "Our bitbeasts can decimate an army, and you'll get killed." He said, walking away. He stopped and turned to face her slightly.  
"I love you." He said before he rounded a corner. She turned and slid down the door and held onto the warmth he had left on her hand.  
"I love you too." She said.


	21. Chapter 21

Later, Tala brought her breakfast and as Kai watched from the auditorium, he attempted to seduce her again.  
"I'm so sorry Tala, but I really don't feel well. I think I might be getting sick. And I don't want to make you sick; you need to be in tip top shape for training." She lied to him when he tried to kiss her and she turned away.  
"Must I get the team doctor to look you over?" he asked her, feeling she was a little feverish.  
"No, I just need to drink some water and sleep it off." She smiled weakly. He frowned at her, he was clearly worried.  
"The lab is warmer. You'll be far more comfortable down there. I'll ask Boris if we can move you soon. You might get really sick up here, in the cold." He said, getting up.  
"Oh yes please, I can feel I'm getting," she faked a cough really well. "Worse by the minute." She wheezed.  
Tala got up and rushed out the cell, leaving the door open. She thought this might be it, her chance to get away, but then the female voice said to her again.  
"_Stick to Kai's plan."_ Dranzer said to her.  
"Ok Dranzer. I'll wait." She said, walking up to the door.  
She saw Kai blading. He glanced at her through his peripheral vision. She saw a smile on his face as he tore the beyblade dish to shreds with Black Dranzer.  
"Say what you want, Dranzer, but Black Dranzer is very strong." She said as she closed the door.  
"_She's evil and demented. And I hope she gets destroyed."_ Dranzer said to her. Charlie sat down on her bed and realized she was talking to a spirit. She must have looked crazy.  
"Yeah, but that's not our concern now, we need to get out of here and then get back to France. From there, we can plan our next move." She said to her.  
"_I'll miss Kai."_ Dranzer said to her.  
"Me too. But we need to get him out of here, and then we can deal with that black phoenix." She smiled sadistically.  
"_Don't you have another bitbeast, somewhere?"_ Dranzer asked her.  
"No, just you. I never realized I needed one, but now I see that I do. But I don't know where I'm going to get one." She sighed.  
_"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here as long as you want me_." Dranzer said to her.  
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." She said, wiping a tear away. "Dranzer, please don't get hurt now when we run. I'll need your help to survive the frozen forest as well." She thought.  
"_Hey, I'm a phoenix. I can't die, remember. You know about Egyptian myths, I thought you knew this."_ She laughed at Charlie.  
"Well, yeah. So you _do_ come from Egypt?" Charlie asked her.  
"_I come from everywhere. Every civilization has seen me. But yes, I liked Egypt the most. The figs were delicious."_ She said to her.  
"Figs, I figured you for a meat type of girl." Charlie laughed.  
"_Oh, I am, but I'm mostly a dessert kind of girl_." Dranzer said to her.  
"Join the club." She laughed.  
She might have been the animal form of herself. They sat in silence for a while until she heard the door creak. It opened and Tala was standing there with Boris and a guard or two. She saw Kai in the background, getting ready to help her get out. She stood up from her bed and walked towards them, the launcher with Dranzer behind her back. She stumbled and Tala caught her.  
"See, she's getting a cold, she can hardly walk right. We need to move her soon." Tala said as she walked with him. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek and smiled.  
"Thank you Tala." She said, stepping back.  
They waited to see what she was doing and before they knew it, she was getting ready to launch. She pulled the ripcord and Dranzer flew at them, bursting into flames as she did, sending everyone flying back. She ran past them, with Dranzer at her heels. She looked to her left and saw Kai running after her.  
"She's escaped, I'll get her back!" he shouted as he ran after her. She waited for him around the corner and he came screeching around it. Without stopping he grabbed her hand and they ran hard towards the entrance. Black Dranzer and Dranzer followed them closely. They ducked and dived through the maze of dark rooms and secret passages. They got to the exit and heard the sirens going off. The others had recovered already and were on their way. Kai pushed opened the huge metal doors and made way for her to run past him.  
"Go, towards the forest." He said to her she ran past him into a snowy frozen wasteland.  
At the edge of the plain she saw the shadowy outline of snow covered trees. It was so cold, her brain almost froze. She turned to face him.  
"Come with me, we can both get away now." She screamed, walking up to him and taking his hand.  
He heard the heavy footfalls of the guards coming and also the sound of a spinning beyblade. Tala was coming.  
"No, you go. They will never know I helped you if you go now, but if they see us together," he said as the footfalls grew stronger and he could hear shouting now. They were very close now.  
"GO!" he shouted at her.  
She stepped back and saw the seriousness in his eyes. She turned and ran towards the forest. It was so far and the snow was so slippery. She looked behind her and saw that the others had reached the entrance and Kai was lying on the ground already. Whether he was acting or not, she wasn't sure, but she had to get away. She saw Tala look at her, running away and he now he was running after her, with his beyblade following. She saw a blue light come from his general direction.  
_"IT'S WOLBORG!"_ she heard Dranzer scream.  
She closed her eyes and pushed herself harder than ever before to get to the forest before they caught up with her.  
"Just a few more meters," she thought.  
"So, close," she thought again.  
She slipped into the tree line and disappeared into the forest. She ran into the forest until she couldn't see the clearing anymore, ran a few hundred meters in. She stopped and hid behind a tree.  
"Come out, Charlie, I won't hurt you. I love you." Tala was looking for her and he was coming closer.  
She looked out from behind the tree and saw him looking for her foot prints in the snow. She turned quietly and began walking in the opposite direction but before she could get very far, a huge white wolf appeared in front of her. It was blocking her way. She screamed at the sight of the snarling beast and fell back onto the soft cold snow and clawed her way back to a tree trunk. She looked up at the wolf as Dranzer attacked it. She flapped her wings and tried to distract it but Tala had heard her and had seen the fight between Dranzer and Wolborg and he had found her, hiding in the snow against a tree. He grabbed her feet and began to drag her back to the entrance.  
"NO, NO, LET ME GO!" she shouted as the wolf and Dranzer disappeared.  
She felt Dranzer fly into her hand. She clenched her hand around Kai's old blade and shoved it into her pocket. They would not find her.  
"Tala, let me go." She said as he left a trail in the snow.  
"No." he said, pulling her back to the building.  
"So you thought you could get away." Boris said as Tala pulled her onto her feet and forced her to look at him.  
"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!" she shouted at him.  
She didn't know where she found the sudden strength to tell him off, but it didn't work. He didn't flinch.  
"Kai couldn't catch me; I won't let you." She said, as she stamped down hard on Tala's foot.  
He let go of her suddenly and she made another run for it, but soon, it was all over again. The wolf appeared again and she found herself being pushed back into the building like a corralled sheep. She walked backwards and she felt her back hit Tala's chest. She turned around to face him and he lifted her up over his shoulder and began walking back to the entrance. As Tala carried her off over his shoulder and the guards carried Kai in after them, she heard the metal door closing. 


	22. Chapter 22

That was it. She wouldn't get another chance. They took her to Boris' office and Kai back to him room. She heard him sigh when they parted. He was acting. Tala carried her into Boris' office while Boris checked on Kai. He threw her into a chair and slammed the door shut.  
"So you knocked Kai out, how the hell did you do that?" he asked, looking at her with folded arms.  
She looked at him and turned her back on him, spinning the chair around. He grabbed the handles of the revolving chair and spun her back around to face him.  
"Why would you want to run away, from me?" he asked her.  
She stood up and pushed him against the wall with previously unknown strength. She could see that it caught him by surprise.  
"CAN'T YOU TELL!" she shouted at him. "I WANT TO GO HOME, TO MY SISTER AND MY Country. I DON'T LIKE BEING COLD ALL THE TIME. I HATE RUSSIA!" she shouted at him.  
He pushed her back but she stopped his assault and pushed him back into the wall. Now he was smiling. He could fight some more with her. He grabbed her arms, swung her around and slammed her into the wall behind him. She winced as his hands bruised her arms.  
"How did you get so strong?" he smiled at her and kissed her viciously.  
She pushed him away and slapped him across his face. He recovered quickly and pushed her against the wall with his body. He reached down and began pulling down her pants. She grabbed the waist band with her free hand and tried to keep them up. She struggled against him trying to kiss her and pulling at her pants at the same time. She heard her waist band rip. The sound made them both stop and look at each other. He looked more excited now than ever before and she was scared, because that was her last line of defense. He realized what had just happened and smiled evilly at her and she realized that she couldn't stop him now. He kissed her roughly again and thrush his hips against hers, slamming the small of her back into the wall. The pain from the nerves in her back being pushed against the wall shot to her head and it was so painful that it made her wince in pain. As he pushed back harder, she felt him undoing his belt buckle and she knew it would be all over soon. He kissed her neck and she turned her face away from him and waited for him to force her legs away from each other. Then she heard the door creak open. Tala broke the kiss and stepped back.  
"You two again." Boris said, walking to his desk and sitting down.  
Charlie tore away from Tala's grip and marched over to Boris.  
"Let me go already, you have what you wanted. You have Kai." She said, stepping back.  
She wasn't convincing enough. She had to lie better.  
"He doesn't even remember me." She said softly.  
She thought of maybe turning on the water works, but that would be too much.  
"That's not what the night watchman said." He said, as the door opened a young man came in.  
He had a tape in his hand. He walked up to Boris and handed it to him.  
"Oh, by the way, her sister was on the news this morning. All the channels. She said that she will find us, and when she does…" the watchman looked a Charlie.  
"Well, judging by this princess, the other one should be a walk in the park." The watchman said before Boris dismissed him.  
"Oh, now you're in for it. When Alex gets here, not even Kai will be able to stop her from rescuing me." She said, looking over her shoulder at Tala.  
"Let alone you, Tala." She smiled at him.  
"Well, we'll see. But let's see what the night watchman has given me." He said, before getting up and walking over to a TV.  
He popped the tape into the player and the picture showed up. It was Kai throwing a jacket over the camera, with her in the background.  
_ "I love you, Kai. And tonight may be the only night…" _there was a moment of silence as her voice came from the speakers.  
_"Kai, tonight, I want you to make love to me. Tonight is all we have. Let's act like this is our last night on earth." _She blushed.  
The camera was covered, but they had forgotten about the sound.  
_"I agree."_ Kai said.  
She looked at Tala and he was getting very angry.  
_"That's all you have to say." _She heard herself say._  
"That, and…I love you, Charlotte." _Kai's voice said.  
The sound of their conversation last night filled the room and she could feel Tala's eyes on her back. Boris stopped the tape and looked at Tala.  
"Looks like Kai beat you to the prize, Tala." Boris smiled.  
Tala grabbed her arm and turned her around.  
"When was that?" he demanded.  
She looked away from him and didn't answer.  
"ANSWER ME!" he shouted at her.  
"LAST NIGHT!" she shouted back.  
She pulled free of his grip and looked at him.  
"Kai came to see me. And yes, Tala, as Boris said, he beat you." She smiled at him. Tala grabbed her shoulders slammed her down onto the desk in front of Boris. He pinned her down with his body.  
"Just give me ten minutes Boris. Please." Tala said, looking at her angrily.  
In her head, she begged Boris to stay.  
"Maybe later, for now, let me hear about Alex. You say she's strong." Boris said as Tala let her up.  
"Very." She said, rubbing her collar bone and glaring angrily at Tala.  
"She's the best I know. And her bitbeast, Bellona, she's the strongest one I've ever seen. She knows where I am. I'm sure. You better hope she doesn't find me, for your sake." Charlie threatened them.  
Boris laughed at her and called over the intercom.  
"Bring Kai in." he said.  
Charlie knew that it was over for him. They knew that he helped her, after that tape, how could they not?  
"Take her to her room, Tala." Boris ordered.  
Tala smiled at her and grabbed her arm. He walked towards the door and opened it. On the other side was Kai, being led by two guards.  
"I'm so sorry." He said as they walked past each other.  
She broke free from Tala and ran towards Kai. She grabbed him around his neck and kissed him. He broke free of the guards and wrapped his arms around her waist. He broke the kiss and looked away from her, ashamed that his past was dragging her down with him but she made him look at her.  
"It's okay. Everything will be okay. Alex is coming for us." She said to him as Tala and the guards pulled them apart.  
The guards took Kai into Boris' office. The door closed and she heard fighting soon after. She watched and listened in horror as she heard Kai taking a brutal beating. A minute later, Kai was dragged out of the office, bleeding from his mouth. Tala wanted her to see that, the horror of knowing that they might have killed him this time. He pulled her back, while she fought to get to Kai, but he was too strong. She was taken to her room by Tala. He threw her in and dead bolted the door behind him. He picked her up off the floor by her neck, walked a few steps with her in the air and slammed her into the wall.  
"Why didn't you tell me that he was here?" He seethed at her.  
He had his other hand around her neck now too and was squeezing slightly. She grabbed his hands and held onto them, trying to get them off her.  
"Why would I?" she wheezed.  
"YOU'RE MINE, NOT HIS!" he shouted at her.  
"I belong to no one." She said rebelliously to him.  
He felt the anger rising and he squeezed her neck tighter. She wheezed and coughed.  
"You belong to me. From now on, I will spend every night with you." He said, picking her up higher and throwing her across the room.  
She hit the opposite wall and fell down onto the bed and he jumped on top of her. She kicked and punched at him, but she couldn't land a single blow. He ripped her jacket open, leant down and started licking and kissing her stomach. Even though she loved Kai, there was a danger about Tala that made him irresistible. Even more so now that he had shown his true colors to her. She lifted his head up and slapped him. He recoiled and pressed his lips against hers and kissed her fiercely as she tried to fight him off. She found herself kissing him back unexpectedly. She broke the kiss and turned her head away.  
"I'm so confused." She whimpered.  
She could feel the freezing tears running down her face. He turned her face to face his.  
"Don't be. Kai is dead. I'm still here. I want you. Give yourself to me. I love you just as much as he does." He said to her in a soft gentle, but slightly dangerous voice.  
He could be the wolf in sheep's clothing when he wanted to be.  
"Please, just leave me to think." She said. He sighed and got off the bed.  
"Just one more time, but tonight, now that you're not a virgin anymore… you're mine." He said, walking towards the door.  
He went out and dead bolted it on the outside. He looked through the window.  
"You'll be moved soon." He said to her.  
"To the lab floor." He added before walking off.  
Just as she caught her breath, there was a knock at the door. It opened and two men with guns came towards her.  
"Are you ready to be moved?" one asked her.  
She stood up and felt for Dranzer in her pocket. She was still there.  
"Yes." She said, walking towards them. 


	23. Chapter 23

They walked with her through the dark alleys to a staircase going down. She walked down after them to a huge metal door. One of them put a code into a keypad to the right of the door. The doors creaked and opened, letting mist flow out onto the cold stone floor. She looked back to see if there was anyone she knew behind her, coming to help her. No one was coming now. She sighed and walked in. The room felt cold and sterile. The floor was sheet metal. There were passages leading off the main one where they were walking. She heard machines and air-conditioners running. She heard screaming and fighting from different rooms. She assumed this is where the real training happened. She walked past a cell and saw a teddy bear lying on a bed, an old, well worn-in teddy bear. She stopped and thought for a second.  
"How old are the children in here?" she asked one of the guards.  
"7 to 18. They range in age." The one guard said. They nudged her on.  
"That was your boyfriends Kai's room, when he first came here as a 5 year old. He was the youngest from that group." The other guard said to her.  
Kai's room, his teddy bear. He was so young. He must have been so frightened to be here, alone. Damn Boris, she thought. Damn Kai's grandfather for sending him here. They stopped at another door and the one guard opened it. The door opened up and the room was slightly warmer than the other room. She walked in and the guards locked the door behind her. She looked around the room and there was just a bed and table and chair, like the last cell. She sat down on her bed and took Dranzer out of her pocket.  
"Did you see that teddy, was it really Kai's?" she asked her.  
"_Yes, when we first came here. His mother gave it to him."_ She said back. "_I don't like this place_." She added.  
"Yeah, me too." Charlotte said.  
After a few hours of listening to the sounds of the lab floor. Hearing screaming, shouting, fighting and people being dragged to somewhere, but seeing nothing but blackness, the door to her cell opened. She covered her eyes from the harsh light and saw someone come in. They closed the door and walked towards her. She stood up and waited for her eyes to adjust. Then she saw the flash of red hair.  
"Tala." She said, sitting back down on the bed.  
"So have you cooled down from this morning?" he asked her.  
"No, not really. You shouldn't have stopped me. Now you're really gonna get it." she said, leaning back against the wall folding her arms over her chest.  
"Ah, your talented sister. I hope to meet her someday." He said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I'm really into sisters." He said almost in a whisper, touching her hair.  
"You are seriously sick." She shouted, getting up and walking to the opposite side of the room. He got up and walked after. She turned and faced him.  
"If you think that being nice to me now will help me forgive you, think again." She said, pushing him back.  
He grimaced and then it turned into a smile. He took something out of his pocket and she thought it was a knife or a gun. She walked back into the wall.  
"Relax; it's just my Beyblade, Wolborg." He said, walking up to her.  
He took her hand and placed it in her palm. She looked at the mostly white Beyblade.  
"She's been there for me, for a lot of things. She's been one of my only friends." He said.  
She felt a twinge in her heart, sadness, pity for him, perhaps.  
"That's nice for you." She said, handing it back to him.  
He obviously had a past, and she wondered what ghosts were his alone. Like Kai's ghosts.  
"You don't have a bitbeast of your own, why?" he asked, standing, watching her face for signs.  
"I don't need one, I don't compete, and I have no need for one." She said, looking at him, reading him for a sign of weakness.  
They stared each other down, looking for an opportunity. He smiled and nodded. He turned away from her and began analyzing her earlier escape plan in his head. He turned and looked at her.  
"And yet you were able to control Dranzer." He asked her, looking in her pocket at the lump that was Dranzer.  
"I guess, we understand each other." She said, turning her pocket away from him.  
"You know, I can get you your own bitbeast. One that represents _your_ soul." He said, walking up to her and stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.  
She watched his eyes. He was planning something, making small talk. But the thought of her own bitbeast intrigued her. Her own bitbeast would definitely be able to help her get out.  
"Really, you can do that?" she asked him, calling his bluff.  
"Yes, we have the technology to create bitbeasts." He smiled. "I think yours would be… no, wait. I can't say. You would need to do some tests first." He said, running his thumb slowly over her lips.  
"Then I want one. What do I have to do?" she asked.  
She was determined to get out, and another bitbeast could only help.  
"I'm the Head of Bitbeast Development. So you have to," he stopped and looked her up and down.  
"Convince me." He smiled at her.  
She frowned and looked at him.  
"Nice try. But, I don't believe you. How old are you, and you're head of a lab that manufactures bitbeasts. Whatever." She said, trying to think of ways to draw this out a little longer.  
"I'm 25, and yes, I am the Head of Bitbeast Development." He said, stepping up to her and running his beyblade across her jacket, cutting it with the blade edge.  
"Hey," she shouted, looking at the cut across the front of her jacket.  
"I can get you another one." He smiled, he continued cutting until she grabbed the blade.  
"Stop." she said as blood dripped from her hand.  
He pulled the blade away and stepped back. He put one hand up against the wall next to her head. Then he dropped his beyblade on the ground. It began spinning next to him as she looked deeply into her eyes. He put up his other hand on the other side of her and looked at her even more intensely. Without saying a word, his beyblade flew up and cut off the sleeve of her jacket. She kicked it to the other side of the room as soon as it landed but it came back and cut off her other sleeve.  
"Make it stop." She shouted at Tala.  
"She does what he wants. And what she wants is your clothes on the floor, and to be honest… I want that too." He smiled as his beyblade cut down the front of her jacket. It fell in tatters to the ground, leaving her black bra exposed. She covered herself and turned around to face the wall. She heard him step up behind her and felt his hot breath on her cold back and neck. She felt him unclip her bra and that fell to the ground too. She heard the beyblade one more time, cutting through her pants. With a gust of cold air, it fell to the floor. There was a moment of silence as he ran his hand up her cold spine. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he reached the nape of neck. She heard him pick up his beyblade and pocket it. Then she heard something hit the ground and she knew she had heard that sound before. It was a belt buckle. She peered over her shoulder to see him standing close behind her shirtless and obviously, pantless too. He leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder. He kissed it softly, working his way to her neck and throat. She felt the twinge of ecstasy galloping up her spine. When it reached boiling point, she unintentionally arched her back and leaned up against him. She felt his strong, hot chest against her back. Why were all these Russian men hot to the touch? She felt him run his hands down her sides and reach her hips and pulled her roughly back against his body. He reached around and locked his hands around her hips. She knew what was coming next as she heard his beyblade. It cut her underwear off with the blade edge. The flimsy piece of material fell to the ground slowly. She swallowed hard and waited for his kiss but all she felt was the sting of the blade cutting her skin. It was such an exquisite pain she fell back into his arms and looked up for his lips. She saw them, smiling at her. He bent down and kissed them. She bit down gently on his bottom lip, drawing a drop of blood. He broke the kiss and reached inside his mouth and took out a blood covered finger. She smiled at him as he lifted her up, reached around her waist and turned her to face him. He smiled and she smiled back. He kissed her powerfully and she kissed back just as forcefully. She felt him run his hands to her backside and suddenly, he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pushed her back up against the wall. He broke the kiss and she looked at him, wanting him even more than ever.  
"Looks like you're also not afraid of a little blood." He smiled at her.  
"Seems like it." she smiled, before kissing him again. 


	24. Chapter 24

Two weeks later, Kai was standing at a beyblade dish, with Black Dranzer fighting against some other characterless blade. He was thinking about Charlie. Two weeks had passed and he hadn't seen her, not once. Maybe she got out, eventually. Maybe she had made it back to France.  
_"When I get back to France, I'll come back for you, with the whole army if I have to." _those words reverberated in his head like a song that is played too often on the radio.She lied, she said she would come back for him and she lied. All of a sudden, Black Dranzer came flying past his head and he watched as it hit the Perspex wall and cracked it. He walked over and picked it up off the ground. This was starting to affect his fighting skills. He had tried to forget about her, but he couldn't. He loved her and trying to hide it, made it that much more difficult. He stood up and looked at the ordinary beyblade that beat him. He grew angry and launched at it in anger, smashing to shreds before he even hit the dish. He breathed heavily and looked at Black Dranzer. She was all he had now.  
"Love must turn to anger if I want to survive in this place again." He said to himself.  
"Again!" Boris shouted from the side.  
"Then we're done for the day." He added.  
Kai sighed and called Black Dranzer back. Another ordinary beyblade was launched by machine into the dish and he launched again, smashing it.  
"Good job Kai. Now, go get something to eat, and I'll see you tomorrow." Boris said, walking away.  
Kai ate something in the cafeteria, and went to his room. He closed the door and walked to his bed. He lay down and stared at the ceiling. She was really gone. 

Later that night, way past eleven 'o' clock, there was a knock on Kai's door. Kai woke up, sat up, walked to his door and opened it. Tala was standing there with a white haired girl in his arms. She looked liked she had passed out and he was carrying her.  
"May I come in?" Tala asked him.  
"Yeah," Kai said, stepping aside.  
Tala walked past him and set the girl down on the floor.  
"What's this?" Kai asked Tala.  
Tala got up, walked to the wall, leaned up against it and looked at the girl. Kai looked down at her. She was pale and her eyes were black as night. It seemed like her soul had been broken and taken from her, piece by piece. Kai felt sorry for her, but he didn't know her.  
"Call it a gift, from me to you. For your birthday. It's no fun when she doesn't fight back." Tala smiled at him.  
"Ah, how sweet, you remembered, but you're a few days early." Kai said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
He walked over to the girl and held his hand over her throat. She was ice cold and there was barely a heartbeat.  
"Who is she?" Kai asked, looking up at Tala.  
"You don't recognize her. It's Charlie." He smiled at him.  
Kai's heart stopped. He looked back at the broken woman. It was her, her features under that paper thin white skin. He stood up and his fists balled up.  
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?" He shouted at Tala.  
"Relax," Tala said, putting is hands up.  
"Boris was experimenting on her, and this led to that and… she died, a few times." Tala said, walking towards the door.  
"But, how is that possible, a few times?" Kai asked, walking after him.  
"Boris has found a way to bring people back to life after they die. It got good use with her, but as you can see, their appearance is changed somewhat during the procedure. I hope you didn't like her for her hair or eye color." He laughed and left the room.  
Kai closed the door behind him and turned to look at Charlie. This poor little, broken, young woman. She had sacrificed everything. Now she was here, broken down, soulless, because of him. And he had thought the worst of her. He leaned down next to her and tried to catch her eyes.  
"Charlie, can you hear me?" he asked.  
She blinked but didn't look at him. She stared out into space and didn't even react to his voice. He sighed and picked her up off the freezing floor. He walked over to his bed and put her down and covered her with the blanket. She was so cold and lifeless. He noticed a cut on her cheek. An old cut that had broken open and was bleeding again. He wiped the blood away with his hand and she turned her black eyes to look at him.  
"Kai…" she whispered in a strained voice.  
She had obviously been screaming a lot lately. She reached out and touched his face. Her fingers were cold, she reminded him of a living corpse, a zombie. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the only human touch he had had since they took her away. He took her hand and kissed the white fingers.  
"Yes…" he said, feeling a tear roll down his face.  
He got up and made to move to the chair when she grabbed his leg. He stopped and looked at her. She lifted the blanket slightly. He knew what she needed. He took off his clothes and climbed in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her starved waist. He could feel the ribs, the broken bones and hard bruises under her pale skin.  
"I'm sorry." He whispered in her ear over and over again, but she said nothing.  
He fell asleep holding her and all through the night, and didn't move an inch. 


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning he woke up and looked around the room. He sat up slightly and looked at Charlie. She was asleep, but she hadn't moved, her color hadn't improved and she was still freezing cold. He sighed, got up and covered her with the blanket again. He walked over to his table and sat down at the chair. He began to eat some food when she moved a little. He put his coffee mug down and walked over to her. He knelt down next to the bed and took her hand.  
"Good morning." He smiled at her.  
She smiled faintly back and then he saw a red light flashing under her pale skin, in her wrist, like an embedded glow.  
"What the hell…" he said, taking her hand and looking at it flashing under her skin. She pointed at it with her other hand and said in a soft whisper.  
"It's a GPS." She managed to say.  
He thought he had heard wrong.  
"A what?" he asked her to repeat it.  
She breathed in deeply and said again.  
"G…P…S." she breathed.  
After a silent minute, he heard something, choppers and fighter jets. He heard the footfalls for guards running past the room. There was an understated urgency in the guard's voices and then his suspicions were confirmed. The security alarm had been set off and all the guards were running to the main exit. He looked at her and she smiled.  
"Alex." She smiled at him.  
Everyone was screaming for him to come defend the building, the lab, the research, but he didn't want to. He wanted to get in one of those choppers and never see Russia again. Tala pushed his door open and he saw him kneeling at his bed.  
"What are you doing, we need you up there." Tala said, running out after the guards. Kai got up and looked at her. She was too weak to go anywhere. He would get to Alex, and lead her here. She would get her out. He ran out, leaving the door open. He ran after the guards, he was one of the last ones running up. Halfway up the stairs, Kai stopped. The last of the guards were bumping into him as they ran past. A bomb went off outside but he barely flinched, he was thinking about the consequences of his next actions. He didn't know what Alex looked like, and she didn't know who he was, or that he was on their side, the good side. He turned and went back down to his cell.  
She lay in the bed and she heard the fighting, the bombs, the screaming, and metal bending and shattering under the sharp edges of beyblades. She heard someone at the door. She lifted her head and saw Kai's silhouette and it brought back memories of the first time she saw him, standing in the alleyway, with the sun behind him, just his silhouette for her to see. She smiled and he came in. He lifted her up out of the bed and into his arms. She positioned her head on his chest and he hugged her close.  
"Come on, we're going home." He said carrying her out.  
He carried her slowly towards the stairs. He stopped and looked at her just as they got to the entrance. They were walking into the heat of battle, unarmed. If they saw her in his arms and decided to sharp shoot him, this would be the last seconds he had spent with her.  
"Whatever happens next, I will always be with you." He said, kissing her on her glacial forehead.  
She nodded and he took a deep breath. He took the first step up into the open.  
As he reached the top of the stairs, she saw that Boris' team was putting up a good fight. Although the other team had guns and grenades, the beyblades were going toe to toe with them. Kai walked towards the French army and the choppers. The soldiers fighting against the beyblades saw Charlie in his arms and ran to her, whisking her from Kai's arms. Kai watched as the soldier took her and he decided to walk back towards the Russians. He turned and began walking away from her. She would never forgive him; all that was left for him now was Biovault. When she saw he was walking towards Tala and the others, she reached out for him from the arms of a soldier. She breathed hard and filled her lungs.  
"NO, KAI!" she shouted for him.  
He turned slowly and saw her hands grappling for him and he smiled. He walked up to her and took her back into his arms. He walked with a guard covering him and her towards the choppers. Then all of a sudden, the shooting stopped, the beyblades spun silently on the ground as a strange rumbling sound filled the air.  
"What is that? An earthquake?" the soldier asked Kai.  
Kai shook his head and looked towards the building. Then the ground began to shake, then more and eventually, the snow began to melt and the ground glowed red. Then the glow filled the air, a red, furious glow.  
"Dranzer…" Kai said to himself.  
He looked at the soldier and shouted at him to retreat. The others heard and just as they moved back, the ground gave way and exploded up into the air. The red phoenix burst through the ground and attacked the Russian beyblades. As the inexperienced bladers saw her fury, they ran back into the building, probably hiding just inside, waiting for her to leave, Kai thought. She landed on the crushed snowy ground and looked at the French army. Her eyes were glowing red and her anger emanated through her feathers like flames. She turned to face Kai and Charlie. She flapped her wings and took off, flying just above the ground, towards them. The soldiers moved back from Kai and Charlotte. Kai watched as she landed in front of them. Charlie reached out and touched her soft feathery chest. The guards rushed up behind them and pushed their way between Charlie and the Phoenix. She flapped her wings in defiance and Charlie reached out for one of the soldiers.  
"Please move aside. She's a friend." Kai said to them.  
They looked at each other and then moved aside and Dranzer walked back up to Charlotte. Kai put her down on the ground and she looked up at Dranzer.  
"Thank you, my friend." She whispered to her.  
Dranzer dipped her head and laid it in Charlotte's hands. The red phoenix suddenly began to cry. The silvery tears ran out her eyes, down her beak and into Charlotte's hands. As soon as the tears touched her frozen skin, the skin began to turn peachy again. The color traveled up her arms and she looked at Kai for an explanation. As the color reached her eyes, they lightened to their usual chocolate brown color and he smiled. She was back to normal.  
"Phoenix tears, of course. They heal any wound, even to the soul." He said, kneeling beside her.  
As he watched her white hair became its normal, rich brown that caught his attention all those weeks ago. He saw reason come back to her eyes. She looked at her wet hands and looked up at him.  
"Then why is your heart still breaking." she whispered. He didn't know exactly what she meant; she didn't know about his past, did she? She must, what else would she be talking about, he thought.  
"It broke when your dad left, it broke when your mom died, it broke when you figured out what your grandfather had in mind for you and it broke when I was taken from you." she said to him.  
The soldiers around them left them for a private moment as he was shocked. She knew. Everything. Someone must have told her.  
"It's time your broken heart was healed." She said as he stopped in his tracks.  
Everything that had happened. She knew that his heart was always breaking. She reached out and touched his chest. Suddenly, calmness fell around him, like he was in a bubble. He felt the warmth travel from her hand to his heart. It wrapped around his heart and just as easily as the pain had been caused, for as long as he had carried it around with him, it was gone. The pain in his heart was gone. Dranzer moved her head over his and a tear drop fell onto his head. The painful memories and feelings that had haunted him for 20 years melted away and he felt peaceful for the first time in his life. He closed his eyes and sighed as the last of the pain melted away. He felt his own tear roll down his cheek. It was over.  
He opened his eyes to see her lying at his feet. That was it. The pain was gone, thanks to her. He smiled, bent over and hugged her tightly to his chest. He helped her up onto her feet.  
"You ok?" he asked her, holding her by her waist.  
"Yeah, now, shall we?" she smiled at him.  
He smiled, reached into his pocket and took out Black Dranzer; he loaded her into his launcher and launched it. He looked at Dranzer spinning near his feet and looked at Charlie. She was ready for her first major battle.  
Then out from behind them, and huge, white Snow Leopard with spots that resembled peacock feathers on its hide, appeared. He had never seen this bitbeast before; it could only have been one of Boris' bladers.  
"Take it out!" Kai commanded Black Dranzer, then Charlie put her hand on his shoulder.  
"No wait, it's Bellona." She said.  
He stopped his bitbeast and they saw that this new bitbeast was facing the Russians. Kai looked to the side and saw that his team was getting out of a chopper. Before they had even touched the ground, their beyblades were spinning alongside his. They all walked up beside him and said nothing; they knew what was needed of them. Then they noticed the new bitbeast.  
"Whose beyblade is that?" Max asked Kai.  
"Alex, my sister's. If Bellona's here, then she's not too far off." Charlie said to Max.  
"Well, we can't wait any longer, here they come." Kai said, as the Russians flooded out onto the churned up ground and snow.  
They launched their blades and came right at them. The five of them attacked the Russians with all they could, and Bellona joined in, ripping at everyone that came close. Boris came out and saw the huge snow leopard fighting off some of his best.  
"Can't be!" he shouted as Spencer's beyblade flew past his head in shards.  
Bellona looked at him and growled. Boris stepped back and realized he was out-ranked. He turned and ran to the back of the building and retreated to one of his choppers and started it up. He just had to wait for the scientists and Tala, everything else was lost here. Bellona saw the chopper starting up and began running towards it, then she stopped suddenly. She growled at him, flashing her white teeth.  
"Calm down, Bellona, we've achieved our goal." A blonde woman said, getting out of her chopper.  
They all looked back to see Alex getting out of the chopper, the rotors of the chopper whipping up her loose golden hair. Ray felt his heart skip.  
"Sorry I'm late, but hey, you know chopper pilots." She said to Charlie and the others.  
"Alex!" Charlie shouted and stumbled towards her sister.  
They hugged and the shorter blonde girl said to her sister while holding her face in her hands.  
"Why is it I always have to save you?" she smiled at her.  
"Guess I'm lucky like that." Charlie smiled back.  
She walked past Charlie and came and stood between Kai and Ray.  
"You must be Kai. Pleased to meet you. Now, who is going down?" Alex asked him.  
"Ah, everyone whose not standing with us." Kai said.  
"Ah, I see…" she said, scanning the playing field. She pin pointed Tala and pointed at him.  
"You're going down red head!" she shouted at him.  
He stepped back and looked around. The chopper was up and running. He turned and ran for it.  
"Guess not." Alex said, ripping into other beyblades.  
By the time Tala reached the chopper, it was all over and the French guards were arresting the Russians. He stopped and looked at Charlie, who had fallen to her knees behind Kai. He looked at her and smiled, before jumping into the chopper. It lifted off the ground and flew off into a snow storm around its rotors.  
They all called their blades back and watched as it flew away. Charlie touched Kai's leg and he looked back at her. He turned quickly, seeing her laying on the ground and knelt next to her. He pulled her onto his lap. She laid her head against his chest and heard his heart beating against his ribs.  
"Still tired?" he asked.  
"Yes…" she whispered.  
He picked her up and carried her to the chopper.  
"Hi, I'm Ray." Ray said to Alex.  
"That was some pretty good moves. Alex is it?" he asked as they followed Kai.  
"Alexandra to you. Not to bad yourself, Ray." She smiled her paralyzing white smile at him and he felt his heart stop.  
She got in and sat next to Kai holding Charlie. Charlie looked up at her and smiled.  
"Alex, be nice to Kai. He's important." She said, taking a line out of their favorite movie.  
"Will do, just get some rest." She said back. Then Alex looked at Kai.  
"You're in safe hands now." She smiled.  
Kai smiled back and looked down at Charlie. He moved some hair out of her face as she fell asleep.  
"So, how the hell did this happen?" Tyson asked Kai.  
Kai sighed and laughed. He relayed the whole story as they flew back to France. 


	26. Chapter 26

There was a soft beeping in the room, the comfortably heated room. Charlie heard soft speaking of people walking past her hospital room. But she was too tired to open her eyes and look who they were. She fell back asleep and waited for the sun beams to hit her face before she opened her eyes again.  
After a few hours of sleep, she heard the door open, and two people come in. She heard papers rustling and a curtain open. The warmth of the sun filled the room and hit her face. She felt he warmth on her skin and she smiled weakly as soon as the two people left. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the sun. She shielded her eyes with her hand and smiled. It had been nearly a month since she had seen the sun. She pulled herself up against the side of the bed and sat up. She looked out the window and saw the Eiffel tower. She was back home, in a hospital, but home. She put up a pillow behind her back and leaned against it, looking out over her favorite park. She only noticed the big red balloon floating at the foot of her bed now. She looked around the room and saw flowers and balloons. There was a banner opposite her bed.  
"Get well soon." she said, reading it out loud.  
She looked down and saw a drip in her arm.  
"Well, that might take a while." She said to herself.  
She noticed a card on the bedside table. It had her name on it. She reached over and picked it up. She opened it and looked at the first words.  
"Charlie,  
Sorry, but I had to go to America, for the finals. I was hoping you would wake up in time, but you didn't, but I'll be back, as soon as we win.  
Kai."  
It said. She smiled and held the card to her heart. She looked out the window and daydreamed of him as Alex walked into the room.  
"You're awake!" she shouted and ran up to her.  
She hugged her and saw that she had read the card.  
"Ah, so you found the card." Alex said, pulling up a chair.  
"Yeah, pity, I wanted to see him off." Charlie said to her sister.  
"Wait, do the doctors know you're awake?" Alex said, getting up and walking to the door.  
"I don't think so." Charlie said as Alex called them.  
They came into the room and were visibly relieved.  
"Mademoiselle, you're awake, thank heavens." One nurse said to her as she removed the drip.  
"You have no idea how much I missed Paris." She sighed as they left the room.  
"Oh, look, tea time." Alex smiled at her sister.  
"The usual?" she asked her.  
"Definitely." Charlie said.  
Alex made a call and a few minutes later, a delivery boy was at the hospital door with a huge pink box. There was a nurse behind him with a pot of tea and two cups. Alex let them in and she opened the box and put a slice of chocolate cake on Charlie's plate and handed it to her. She dished her own cake and poured a cup of tea for each of them. Charlie took a bite of the chocolate cake and it melted in her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored it.  
"Good?" Alex asked her, sitting down on the chair.  
"You have no idea." Charlie laughed.  
"What did they do to you in there?" Alex asked her.  
Charlie put down her plate slowly and looked out the window. One face filled her mind, Tala. He was still out there. He wanted her back. She could feel it in her bones.  
"I really don't want to talk about it." She said clenching her fists together.  
"Ok…" Alex said seeing her anger and then sipping her tea.  
"Then, on another note, this Kai guy, who is he?" she asked him.  
Kai's face filled her vision. His smiling face in the park that first day. She smiled and blushed.  
"Oh, I think I know," Alex laughed at her sister.  
She turned to her sister and took her hand.  
"Alex, he's perfect. He's loyal, sweet, and funny. He's the one I've been looking for. I'm sure of it." She gushed.  
"The one?" Alex asked.  
"I didn't say that." Charlie said, replaying the words in her head.  
"Oh, I did." She laughed.  
"So, does he feel the same way, do you think?" Alex asked.  
"I hope so. If it wasn't for him, I would have died down there." She said, looking at the blanket weave.  
"If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have been kidnapped at all." Alex said angrily.  
"That's not true." Charlie recoiled.  
"It is. They used you to get to Kai. Or so he said. He said that if he hadn't met you, he would never have fallen for their little schemes again." Alex said to her.  
She looked at her sister and smiled.  
"We went through hell together in that place. Kai is very complicated, but at the same time, he isn't. He doesn't trust anyone. Not even himself. He thinks that because of his upbringing, that he isn't good. But he is. He saved my life down there. He needs to be saved now." She said to her sister.  
"Wow, you really love him, don't you?" Alex asked her sister.  
Charlie thought about it and smiled.  
"Yes, I do. And I would like to think I'm the type of person who saves the people I love. That I can take a broken heart and fix it, and Kai's is the most broken I've ever seen. He needs me, as much as I need him." She said softly.  
She realized her sister wasn't the sentimental type, and even she was speechless. She looked over and saw her wiping a tear from her eye.  
"Alex, are you crying?" Charlie said to her.  
"No, I got a crumb in my eye." She said, wiping the tear away.  
"How are you feeling, good enough to go home?" She changed the subject.  
"No, not yet, maybe in a day or two." She said, looking past her sister for the first time, looking across the room to a long table under the window.  
There, lying quietly was a black beyblade.  
"What is that thing doing here?" she asked Alex.  
"Black Dranzer. Kai left it here, to protect you. He said that if need be, she would protect you better than he could. He was here every second till yesterday, and then he had to leave. But he calls every hour to check if you've woken up yet. " Alex said as if it meant nothing.  
She finished her cup of tea and put it down.  
"He even skipped out on his birthday to be here." She added.  
"Maybe you're ready now." Alex said, looking at her sister.  
"For what?" Charlie asked her.  
"I know you've wanted this for a really long time and I really wanted to give it to you, but I felt that you weren't ready, but I think you are now." She added.  
Charlie was really ready to burst. What was Alex planning?  
"What?" she asked her sister.  
She was interrupted by her phone ringing.  
"Right on time." She said, answering it.  
"Hi Kai." She smiled at Charlie. "Yep, she's awake…" Alex looked at her and winked. "About an hour ago. Seems you neglected your duties… sure, here she is." Alex said, handing her sister the phone.  
She took it and slowly brought it up to her ear.  
"Hi," she said softly.  
"Hi," Kai replied back. "It's so good to hear your voice." He said.  
"Yours too." She smiled at the sound of his voice.  
"I missed you. Look, I'll be there soon, okay. And then we can go somewhere quiet and talk." He said to her.  
"Yeah, we do need to talk. Anyway, how's the finals going?" she asked him.  
"How do you think, us Bladebreakers are living up to their name. We'll win, no problem." He bragged.  
"Yeah tiger, just slow down. Don't kill too many dreams on the way." She smiled.  
"Ok. For you." He said. "Listen, I gotta go, I'm blading next."  
"Say hi to Dranzer for me. Tell her… thanks... for everything. Things would have been much worse without her." She smiled.  
"Will do. See you soon." He said, hanging up the phone.  
She handed it back to her sister.  
"He's coming home soon." Charlie said, smiling.  
"His home or our home?" Alex asked her, putting her phone away.  
"That's right, he lives in Tokyo." Charlie said.  
"He's coming here." She added. "I can't wait." She added, blushing.  
"Great, now tell me about this Ray guy. Good or bad?" she asked her.  
"Good. Definitely good. Interested?" Charlie asked her.  
"Of course not. What do you take me for?" Alex smiled at her sister. 


	27. Chapter 27

The next day, the doctor had good news for the sisters.  
"If you promise not to do anything strenuous, I'll discharge you." He said, looking at her charts, while the nurse fetched the forms to fill in.  
"Oh, I'll keep an eye on her. She won't even watch TV without my ok." Alex smiled and threatened.  
Charlie sighed and looked out the window as the doctor filled out the forms; the next few days would be very boring. Deep in her soul, she was longing for some excitement, fun, danger, even though she had just been rescued. Maybe it was time for a change, time to not be so safe, take chances. To stop waiting, and start doing. Maybe she should drop a hint to Tala where she was, that ought to be fun, she thought. She looked at the doctor, and saw how he was explaining to Alex about her medication. She wouldn't take it. She felt good. The time in Russia was good for her, despite the trauma they thought she had been through. In actual fact, she had discovered life. She supposed they had taught her how to live. She couldn't wait to get out. Maybe she would take Black Dranzer for a spin.  
"Come on." Alex said to her.  
She looked at her suddenly and saw that Alex had already packed her things into a bag.  
"Time to go home." She said to her, lifting the blanket off of her.  
Charlie swung her legs out and slowly put her feet on the ground. It felt so good, the cold feeling of the floor under her toes. Alex wanted to help her but Charlie stopped her.  
"I can do it." She said, lifting herself out of bed and standing, although unsteadily, on her own two feet.  
She had seen what people her age were doing in Russia, how much Kai and Tala and the others had to go through in their lives, she could stand on her own and walk out of here. A nurse brought her a wheelchair but she turned it away.  
"What happened to you?" Alex asked her as she watched Charlie pull on a pair of pants and a shirt. She walked over to the long serving table and took Black Dranzer in her hand and squeezed it.  
"Now you be good, okay Black Dranzer." She said to her, dropping her into her pocket.  
"I guess I was inspired to be stronger, thanks to Kai… and a few other people." She said, to Alex.  
She put on a pair of shoes that her sister had bought for her. They left the room, and Alex ordered that all the flowers and presents be brought to Charlie's hotel suite, and got into the elevator. As the doors closed, Alex turned to Charlie.  
"This is the part where I tell you that there was an article in the newspaper this morning, about you being released." She said, looking at her.  
Charlie squeezed Black Dranzer in her hand, hidden in her pocket.  
"Let me guess, there is a throng of reporters outside. Typical, they know before me that I can go home." She said, looking blankly at the elevator doors.  
"I'll handle it, don't worry." Alex said, looking at the red lights lighting up the numbers as they went down.  
"No, I can handle it." Charlie said as the elevator pinged and the doors slowly opened. They were right, just outside the hospital doors were hundreds of people. Most with cameras, but there were normal people there to. Charlie smiled and put on her PR face. She walked slowly towards the doors that were opened automatically as she approached. Instantly, the camera flashes went off, screaming of questions and whistles of joy filled the atmosphere around the sister's. Alex shielded Charlie from most of the flashes but then Charlie grabbed a policemen's megaphone. She held it her mouth and spoke.  
"Thank you all for coming." She said.  
The crowd grew silent and waited for her next words.  
"I appreciate all the well wishes and I'm glad to say, I'll be just fine. Thank you all for your prayers that, I'm sure, helped us get rescued. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get home." She smiled and gave the megaphone back.  
The crowd made a path for her and as she walked past, as little girl held out a bunch of flowers for her. She took them and hugged the little girl. She made her way to the limo and some random onlooker opened her door. She looked at him and the blood rushed to her feet. She felt heavy as she looked at Tala's face in front of her. He smiled at her and they stood staring at each other for a while.  
"Charlie, you ok?" Alex asked her.  
She looked at the red haired man holding the door open.  
"Do we know you?" Alex asked Tala.  
Her fighting memory was short and she didn't recognize him at all.  
"Not you, just your sister. We know each other, very well." He said, smiling at her. Charlie felt the cold tingles on her spine again. She clenched her fist around Black Dranzer and she could feel the sharp edges cutting into her hand as she did. Tala held out his hand and looked at her dramatically.  
"Give it to me." He said.  
She knew what he meant, he wanted Black Dranzer. Biovault wanted her back.  
"No." she said.  
He smiled and stepped towards her. The police rushed to her side but she stopped them.  
"I can handle him." She said to them.  
She looked back at Tala.  
"She's mine now. I won't abandon my bitbeast." She said, looking him in the eyes. Alex stepped back and reached into her pocket for Bellona. Tala took his hand off from the car door and touched her hand and the crowd gasped. He was touching their princess and she was allowing it. Did this mean her and Kai had broken up, they thought. Was this her new boyfriend? He leaned forward and whispered into her ear.  
"Only Kai can use her. She won't work for you." He smiled and gently ran his lips over her earlobe. She felt the little pleasure tingles running down her spine again.  
"Then why do you want her?" she whispered back.  
He pulled away and saw that Alex had her blade in her launcher.  
"Step back." She warned him.  
He smiled at her.  
"Black Dranzer will work for me, as long as Alex is here to teach me. Now Tala, turn around, and walk away, or you will be spending a very long time in chains." She warned him.  
He smiled and turned away, he started walking away.  
"You promise?" he said.  
She blushed and turned her face away from the crowd, from Alex, from him and the cameras. He disappeared into the crowd. The Police Chief asked if they must follow him and capture him.  
"No, as long as Alex is here, I'll be safe. He won't be able to beat her." She said, slipping into the limo.  
Alex slipped in and ordered the driver to get them home. He drove fast and smoothly to the Le Marquis Hotel where they each owned a penthouse suite.  
Alex bundled Charlie into the elevator and quickly got her into her suite. She locked the door behind her and looked at Charlie, who had sat down on her white couch.  
"Who the hell was that?" Alex asked her.  
"His name is Tala. He was one of the guys who held me captive." She said, without flinching.  
"He was flirting with you. Did you and he, I mean, seriously." Alex asked, pouring them a glass of water each.  
"Yeah." Charlie said, taking it from her.  
Alex looked at her, puzzled as to what drove her to that.  
"I can't explain it, I find him very sexy." She said, sipping her water.  
"He wanted Black Dranzer. Do you still have her?" Alex asked her.  
She took her hand out of her pocket and opened her fist. Her blood was clinging all over Black Dranzer's razor sharp cutting edges.  
"Charlie, you cut yourself." Alex said, running off to find a plaster.  
Charlie got up and walked to her bay windows that opened up onto her patio. She walked out into the cool breeze and looked out over the park. She saw a flash of red again. Standing under a tree in the park, Tala was watching her. She held her hand up to show him her bloody hand. She brought it up to her mouth and licked off the blood. He smiled up at her and walked away. Now he knew where she lived. She wasn't scared though. Not anymore. Alex came in from the study room and stepped out next to her.  
"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Alex said, handing her the plaster.  
"Thanks." Charlie said, stuffing the plaster into her pocket.  
She looked at Black Dranzer. She needed to learn to blade and control her. She could protect herself then. Tala wasn't going to stop until she was his again.  
"Alex, I want you to call the Minister of Homeland Defense and ask if he can spare some more body guards." She said to her sister.  
"Yeah, good idea." She said, walking into the sitting room.  
"Hey, I want to take you somewhere now, are you ok to go?" Alex asked her as she dialed the number.  
"Yeah, where?" she said, looking for Tala between the green leaves.  
"The Louvre'." She replied.  
"Why?" she asked, turning around and coming back into the room, closing the doors behind her.  
"You'll see." She smiled back. 


	28. Chapter 28

After she had called the minister, Alex called for a limo. They went down and it was waiting for them. They got in and began to drive to the Louvre'. They stopped outside a few minutes later and got out. Charlie looked at Alex. Alex worked here sometimes; she was an honorary curator and could come and go as she pleased. She walked in with Charlie at her side straight to the elevator. She pushed the button for the lowest floor there. They went down in silence and the doors opened.  
"Why are we here?" Charlie asked her.  
"You'll see." Alex said, walking down the white passage towards a metal vault-like door. She took out her honorary curator card and swiped it. The door opened up and they walked in. The room was dark and Charlie bumped into Alex as she stopped. She waited until the door closed before she said anything.  
"I've been watching you for years; I think you're ready for this. LIGHTS!" Alex said to Charlie.  
The lights came on and they were in a room that had glass display cabinets all around the edges. Charlie walked up to one to her left. Inside the case were collections of swords, longbows and all sorts of weapons. All of them had pictures of animals on them. She walked around until she came to a bit that went into a beyblade.  
"Wait, are all of these weapons…" Charlie looked at her sister.  
Alex nodded and placed her hand on the glass case closest to her.  
"They all contain sacred spirits. Bitbeasts." She said, looking at the weapons.  
"Now, Charlotte, I have chosen one for you. I think you'll like it." She said, walking to the other side of the room and taking her necklace off.  
She always wore it and Charlie never knew why. Now it was clear. Alex had access to all these bitbeasts. And she had only ever seen Alex wearing a necklace like that. She must have been the only one.  
"Hey, no fair, you got to choose yours. I want to choose mine, ooh, what about this tiger, thingy…" Charlie said looking at the glass box with a dagger in it.  
"I know you very well, and I have chosen one for you. One that represents you. Your soul and her's are the same." She said, taking out an ancient looking clay jar.  
Charlie walked up to her and examined the jar.  
"This jar is Egyptian in origin." Charlie said, taking the jar from Alex carefully.  
"Yes, this jar was found in Khufu's Great pyramid. It was the only thing in there. Now we know why. Take out your beyblade." She said, Charlie reached into her pocket and pulled out her blade.  
Alex took the jar and put it on the ground.  
"People thought that the sphinx was protecting the tomb, but in actual fact it was this sacred spirit. Her name is Anukis. It means the 'goddess of protection'." She said, taking the jar lid off.  
A golden light flooded the room and Charlie shielded her eyes and she felt her blade heat up. She dropped it and it began to spin on its own on the ground. As they watched, the golden bitbeast appeared. She was a lion with the huge wingspan of an eagle. She looked at the girls and disappeared into Charlie's beyblade. The light faded and when they got their eyesight back, Charlie saw her beyblade was still spinning.  
"Now, call to her, with your mind." Alex said, walking up to Charlie, putting her hand on her shoulder.  
She looked at Alex with doubtful her eyes. She was afraid. What if her bitbeast didn't like her, what if she didn't even speak the same language?  
"Don't worry. It'll be ok." Alex comforted her.  
She looked at her blade and thought about the time when she spoke to Dranzer.  
_"Anukis, can you hear me?" _she thought, but nothing happened.  
She waited a awhile until she head something.  
"_What's your name?"_ Anukis replied.  
Charlie sighed out of relief. She was in her blade and alive.  
"My name is Charlotte, but I think you can call me Charlie." She said out loud.  
"_What year is this? You are wearing very strange clothes._" She said to her.  
Charlie smiled and bent over to pick up her blade.  
"2010, I'll explain it all to you, you must be very confused. All you need to know for now, is that I'm your friend. And as long as I am able, I will protect you." She said out loud again.  
"_Thank you. Now, please excuse me, I feel a strong urge to rest_." Anukis replied and then she went silent.  
"Sleep tight. Don't let the bey bug bites." She said, putting her blade into her pocket.  
She turned to her sister and smiled.  
"She spoke to me." She said in a squeaky voice.  
"As you get used to each other, you can communicate through mind reading." Alex said, walking towards the door.  
"You coming, we need to test your new blade." Alex smiled and walked towards the door.  
Charlie ran after then she remembered the doctor said nothing strenuous. She slowed down slightly and walked after Alex. They got into the elevator and Alex's phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and answered it.  
"Hey, where are you guys…oh, well…oh that might be a problem…we're at the Louvre'…yeah…yeah…of course…ok…bye." She said, hanging up the phone and putting it back in her pocket.  
"Who was that?" Charlie asked.  
"That, is a surprise." Alex said.  
"Well, I don't think I can handle another one. Maybe I'm tired because of Anukis, but I really need to lie down for a while." She said, rubbing her forehead.  
"Hey Alex, Anukis and Black Dranzer, they should get on, right?" Charlie asked her.  
"Don't worry, I'll teach you a little trick. They'll be fine." She said unflinching.  
The door opened up and Charlie took a step forward and stumbled. She caught herself against the elevator wall.  
"Charlotte!" Alex screamed and held her up.  
"I'm ok; I just need to sit down a little." She said, as Alex helped her to a chair.  
She sat down and heard the doors of the wing of Ancient Mythology open. She put her head between her knees and waited for the spinning to stop. She heard voices but she didn't recognize them with all the spinning going on in her head.  
"So… what you doing tonight?" she heard someone say.  
"Nothing, and I want to keep it that way, Ray." Alex said.  
Charlie looked up and the Bladebreakers were there.  
"Hey, good morning, sleep well?" Tyson joked with Charlie.  
"Oh, shut up Tyson." She smiled at him.  
"When did you guys get here?" she asked them.  
"We came straight here." Max said.  
"We were worried about you." He added smiling in his very friendly way.  
Only Max could smile like that. She smiled back. Tyson offered her his hand to help her up.  
"Thanks, but I'm stronger than I look now." She smiled back, reaching for Tyson's hand. He helped her up and she looked around.  
"Not that I'm glad to see you guys, but… where's Kai?" she asked them they looked at each other and then back at her.  
"Um, Charlie, Kai's at the hospital." Ray said, walking past Alex and coming to the front of the crowd.  
"Hospital, why, is he ok? I need to get there now…" she said, before she turned and began walking towards the door.  
She felt a hand on her shoulder and it was Tyson. She turned and faced him.  
"I don't think that's a good idea." He said, looking back at his team.  
"Why, what happened?" she asked him.  
He took her back to the chair and sat her down.  
"There was an… accident." He said, looking at her.  
"Kai looks really horrible. I don't know if he'll ever be the same." He said.  
She stood up and pushed him aside.  
"I'm going. I don't care what he looks like or how bad it is. I'm going to see him." She said, walking towards the door.  
She clenched her two blades in her hands and asked them to help her and give her strength.  
"Charlie." Alex called, walking out from behind the Bladebreakers.  
She turned to face them and then the door creaked open again. She paid it no attention.  
"I love Kai, I'm going to be there for him... no matter what." She said.  
"I will take you back to Russia now. You might have got away before, but now the game is over." Someone said behind her in a Russian accent.  
She felt the blood rush from her face and her skin go cold. It was Tala, it had to be. Or one of Boris' goons. She turned around to see grey eyes looking at her. She stepped back.  
It was Kai. He was standing there smiling at her. He was perfectly fine.  
"Kai, but Tyson said…" she whispered, looking at Tyson, who just smiled at her and laughed soon after.  
"Don't believe everything Tyson says." Kai smiled at her.  
He made to hug her but she stopped him.  
"What, I'm serious. Kai will never be the same again. Not after meeting you." Tyson rolled around on the floor. She smiled at him and turned back to Kai.  
"Sorry, but it still hurts a little." She said, slowly lifting her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.  
"I thought…" she said to him and turned back to face Tyson.  
"Damn you, I'll get you back someday." She said to him, leaning heavily on Kai.  
Tyson looked up at Alex and jumped up, ignoring Charlie's threat.  
"Hey, I want to battle you, come on, you promised." Tyson turned to Alex.  
"I don't have time now." She said, looking at Charlie.  
She smiled at Alex and winked.  
"Why don't you educate him? He's a little ignorant." Charlie smiled at her.  
Alex smiled back and turned to Tyson.  
"Come on, I know the perfect place." She said, walking towards the doors.  
Kai walked ahead and Charlie stumbled. He turned and saw her falling and caught her and looked as she struggled to regain her balance.  
"You're not okay, maybe you should go back to hospital." He said, letting her lean on him.  
"I'm okay, besides, seeing Tyson getting beaten is worth it." She said, walking out after them. 


	29. Chapter 29

They walked across the street to a small park where a few bey dishes were open. Alex chose one and walked up to it.  
"Come on, Tyson, I don't have all day." She said, loosening her long blonde hair.  
Kai helped Charlie to a bench and she sat down. He sat down next to her and watched as she breathed in deeply. She seemed to be in pain.  
"Better?" he asked her.  
She smiled weakly at him and tried to hide her pain from her face, from him.  
"Much. Now that you're here." She said, looking at him.  
She looked past Kai and saw Ray watching Alex getting ready.  
"Hey, look at that. I think… he likes her." She said.  
Kai looked back towards Ray and nodded.  
"Yeah, I think so too." He said, turning right and looking at the two bladers.  
"You should have seen how he was flirting with her on the chopper flight back. Who do you think will win?" he asked her.  
"Alex, hands down." She said, reaching into her pocket.  
"That reminds me…" she said, taking out her hand and handing Black Dranzer to him.  
"No, you keep it." He said.  
"Kai, she's yours. Take it." She said, prodding it at him.  
He sighed and took it from her.  
"Thanks." He said, stuffing it into his pocket.  
"Oh, and look here." She said, taking out her blade and handing it to him.  
He looked at the bit and saw a picture of a winged lion.  
"What's this, your own bitbeast?" he asked, looking at her.  
"Her name is Anukis. And yes, she's _my_ bitbeast." She smiled, taking it back from him.  
"As soon as I can, Alex is going to be teaching me. Maybe I can beat you yet." She said to him.  
"Not likely." He smiled as Alex and Tyson launched.  
Alex went on the attack right away, catching Tyson off guard. It took a big chunk out of his power. Alex smiled as his blade wobbled weakly.  
"What was that about a challenge?" Alex shouted at him.  
She smiled evilly at him.  
"Hey, don't count me out yet." Tyson said attacking her.  
"So have you heard anything from Boris?" Charlie asked Kai.  
She saw the blood drain from his face, and then he went back to normal.  
"No, nothing. I bet he's hiding in some hole somewhere." He said, taking his eyes off the bladers and looking at her.  
He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.  
"Why do you ask?" he asked.  
She sighed and looked at Alex.  
"Tala's here." She said, looking back at Kai.  
"Here, in Paris, when?" he asked.  
"This morning. He was waiting for me when I left the hospital. He asked for Black Dranzer, when I refused, he left." She said, looking as Alex was about to land the death blow to Tyson.  
"I had no doubt they would come back. It was only a matter of time." He said, looking at Tyson struggling to keep spinning in an implosion of blue and green energy that bore down on Dragoon.  
"Wow, she's good." He said looking at the strange attack.  
"The best. That's Double Edge Implosion, her infamous attack." She smiled at her sister.  
"I'm the best the abbey has ever trained. He'll come for me again. Until I get him what he wants, the world." He said, unflinchingly as Alex knocked Tyson out of the dish.  
"Ah come on, best two out of three." Tyson shouted back.  
"A glutton for punishment. Okay, you're on." She said, calling her blade back and they launched again.  
"Boris said, that," she stopped and thought again about telling him about Voltaire.  
"Said what?" Kai asked.  
"No. I can't tell you. It'll hurt you too much." She said to him, looking up at him.  
"It's about my grandfather, right?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the two bladers. She looked down.  
"He said that Voltaire wanted you to help him take over the world for him, not Boris." She said to him.  
Kai sighed, closed his eyes and was clearly embarrassed by his grandfather.  
"My grandfather is a cruel man. I hope you never have the misfortune of meeting him. But I knew it all along. Voltaire wants to rule the world, not Boris." He said to her. She felt sorry for him and tried to make him feel better.  
"Well, for all the crap he put you through, you turned out perfect." She smiled up at him.  
He looked down and smiled back at her.  
"Don't worry about Boris or Voltaire, as long as you're here. You'll be safe. The President has assigned a protection team to me and anyone with me. Boris won't get through them, I promise." She said, looking at Alex.  
Alex loved blading. Then she caught Ray's face looking at her. He really did like her. She felt Kai's arm lift off her shoulders and he heard him moving away from her. She looked at him and frowned.  
"Kai, what's wrong?" she asked him.  
He said nothing, just watched the battle.  
"Did I say something, do something that upset you?" she asked him.  
He closed his eyes and sighed.  
"No, you did nothing. It's me. I'm just… angry… at myself." He said, opening his eyes and watching the battle endlessly.  
"Why?" she asked him.  
"The last time this happened, I nearly killed me, I told you. And I promised myself I would never touch that blade again. But I did. Again." he said, hanging his head in shame more then tiredness.  
She moved closer to him and took his arm and wrapped hers around it.  
"Kai, you said it yourself. They would have killed me. You were just protecting me." She said, but nothing changed in his face.  
"Kai, you saved my life." She said, trying to make him go easy on himself.  
"So if want to be angry with someone, be angry at me, for not being stronger. For being… weak." She said, sitting back against the back of the bench.  
"It doesn't matter how strong you are, or not. They would have killed you. Or let Tala have his way." He added.  
She blushed and thought of telling him what had happened to her in those two weeks he didn't see her. But she thought better of it.  
"No, it's my fault, for falling for you. They used you, hurt you, and if they never knew about you, I wouldn't have been so, vulnerable. I thought I knew myself, but obviously not." He said.  
Her mind played on his words and then she looked at him.  
"I made _you_… weak." She whispered to him.  
He looked at her and smiled so sweetly, she felt all her anger for him saying that, disappear.  
"I need to get away for a while." He said.  
"From everyone and everything. To know what I really want from life" He said.  
She smiled and looked at the battle. Tyson was faring slightly better now. But still not too good.  
"I own a little apartment in Monaco. On the beach front. And a yacht, we can go sailing. We can get on the next plane." She smiled at the thought of having Kai all to herself in Monaco.  
"I think…you misunderstood me. Everyone, including… you." He said.  
She looked at him dumbfounded for a few seconds, then let go of his arm and moved away from him. She looked away and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She hid her face from him. He would never see her cry again. She clenched her hand around her blade and she felt the cuts from earlier open up again.  
"I should have known better to fall in love with… the lone wolf, the mysterious guy in the corner. The one no one can figure out." She said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.  
"If you can't stay with me through a little problem like this, then how is this going to work when we run into serious problems?" She turned and looked at him.  
He wasn't even looking at her.  
"What we just went through, did it mean so little to you?" she asked him.  
He looked ahead of him, not moving or even blinking. She felt the anger well up in her. She clenched her blade again and felt the blood spurt out of her hand. She also felt the tears rolling down her cheeks again. She sighed and tried to get up. He made to help her but she pushed him away forcefully.  
"LEAVE ME ALONE." she shouted at him.  
He looked at her and couldn't understand why she was so angry. He understood she had reason to be, but not this angry.  
"IF YOU WANT TO GO, THEN JUST GO. WHY DID YOU EVEN COME BACK JUST TO LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN." she shouted at as she stood up, stronger than ever.  
"Charlie, I'm sorry…but…" Kai tried to apologize.  
She stopped him by holding up her bloodied hand.  
"You're bleeding." He said, looking at her hand.  
"I know." She said, not even looking at her hand or the blood running down her arm. "Go, stay, it makes no difference to me. Have a nice life." She said, turning around and walking away from him.  
She walked up the path and disappeared behind the bushes.  
Alex saw that she was leaving and ended her match with Tyson with one blow. She caught her blade and walked up to Kai.  
"What was that about?" she asked him, looking for her, but she was long gone.  
"I kinda broke up with her." He said to her.  
Kai saw her facial expression change. He saw her hand shaking and he saw her blade beginning to glow green. She stopped and took a deep breath and her blade stopped glowing.  
"I'm sorry. You see, our bitbeasts are so powerful; it takes some time to learn to control our emotions when they have connected with us. I suspect that's what's happening to Charlie." She said, sitting down next to Kai.  
She watched as Ray, Max, Kenny and Tyson all huddled together. Probably trying to figure out how to beat her next time round.  
"Why did you guys break up?" she asked him.  
"As long as Boris and Biovault exist, I will be their target. Their only target. And the only way they can get to me now, is by using the people I love. She's the only one…" he stopped.  
It didn't matter now. She probably hated him and Alex would soon share those feelings. He sighed and leaned forward with his head in his hands.  
"I told her that after Russia, I don't know myself anymore. And it's true. I was so… weak. I guess it's hard for her to understand. She's always known who she was." He said.  
He also knew who he was supposed to be. The grandson of a very influential Russian crime boss. He was supposed to inherit Biovault one day, when his grandfather kicked the bucket. He smiled to himself. His grandfather dying made him smile. He was going to get Biovault, and when he did, he would make it right. Everything his father had fought for. Now he understood why he left him. This game was more than a game to him. His message of the true spirit of beyblading had to go on. He was far from Voltaire's perfect little soldier.  
"Not really, we only found out a few years ago that we are royalty. Before then…" she stopped and sighed.  
"It's hard to explain. Let's just say, she's been… let down many times. Her heart is so much softer than mine. She took the pain and locked it away. I used it in my blading. She had nothing and no one but me. And then you came along." She smiled at him. He looked up at her and sat back.  
"That's why she's so hurt. I'm another person who hurt her." he said, feeling even worse now.  
"And she didn't expect it… from you." She said, looking at her blade.  
The steam was rolling over the blade edges. That last battle was a good one.  
"So what does that mean, you know, for the future?" Alex said, looking at him.  
"I need to get away from everyone and everything. I need to find out who I really am. I don't know for how long. I couldn't just leave her hanging." He said, looking as Tyson tried to explain what had happened in their match.  
"Do they know?" Alex asked him.  
He smiled and laughed.  
"Yeah, they want me back within the next month. The first round for qualifying is coming up, and they want me there. But I'm thinking I'll skip this next season. They'll cope without me." He said, getting up and looking down at her.  
"So, just how powerful is your bitbeast?" he asked her.  
She smiled and leaned back onto the back of the bench.  
"Did you see it, just now?" she asked him, looking at Tyson, tweaking his blade on the grass.  
"No." he said, looking as Tyson was getting it wrong and had to be helped by Kenny.  
"That's because I beat the world champion without even summoning her, so pretty powerful. He should never compete alone; he wouldn't make it very far." She said, looking at the bumbling fool on the grass.  
She saw Ray walking up to her and she smiled at him. Kai saw this and was sure that she liked him too. She was just playing hard to get. He would tell Ray later on to stick it out.  
"Care for a battle, Kai? Later on, just let my blade cool down." She asked Kai, looking up at him.  
"No, not today, but I still wanna see you and her in action before I leave." he asked as Ray stopped in front of her.  
"Hey Alex, Tyson slipped up a few times, wanna blade me? I won't slip up." he said, holding out his hand for her.  
She took it and he helped her up. She walked past him, brushing her long blonde hair against his arm.  
"Promise?" she smiled evilly at him.  
She walked up to the dish and got ready.  
"You coming or what?" she looked at Ray.  
Ray blushed and was caught in a time lapse. He didn't even see Kai looking at him.  
"Ray, are you blushing?" Kai said to him.  
Ray snapped out of it and looked at him.  
"No." he blushed harder, before walking off to battle her.  
He got ready and on Kenny's signal, launched. Ray and her danced around each other for a while, not saying anything, not wanting to make first contact. She looked at him and blushed. He blushed right back. Finally a girl that could stand her ground against Ray, Kai thought to himself. Finally Alex broke the silence.  
"I like you Ray, so I'll end this quickly." She said, lifting her hand into the air.  
"Bellona, take care of this." She said.  
A green light shot out of her bit and her bitbeast rose out. She filled the air in front of Alex and kept growing. Before long, she was above the tree line and all that was heard was Kenny's finger tips hitting the keys on his laptop.  
"Kai, Ray, meet Bellona." Alex smiled at Ray.  
The Snow Leopard looked at Ray's beyblade, as if luring Driger out. Driger shot out and looked at Bellona. They stared each other down for a while until, with one swift paw; Bellona knocked Driger out of the dish. He landed on the ground behind Ray, still spinning.  
"Hey, that doesn't count." Ray said.  
He looked at her and called Driger back to his hand.  
"In this country, it does." She smiled at him, flipped her hair and walked away.  
She walked up to Kai and smiled.  
"So, what do you think?" she asked him.  
He folded his arms and looked as Ray stared at her.  
"Good, but I can take her." Kai said, folding his arms over his chest.  
"In what dimension? Maybe _you_ should enter the singles; I would very much like to defeat you, publicly. You know, for breaking my sisters' heart and all." She said punching him in the arm.  
She looked around and thought better of challenging Kai to a match; she had more important things to attend to.  
"Guys, I'm going to be leaving now. I need to find Charlie. See if she's ok." She said, walking off in the direction she walked off in. 


	30. Chapter 30

Charlotte had crossed the river and had walked down the streets and little alleys of Paris until she was in Martial Park. She kept walking to some remote little corner of the park and had sat down at a bench. She wasn't sure which part, she had just walked. Anything to get away from there. She looked around and she could see the Eiffel Tower which meant she was close to the center. It was getting dark and they had just switched on the park lights. The Eiffel Tower glowed blue for the festival theme. She sighed and looked at her cut up hand. Inside her palm was her bloodied up beyblade.  
"Why did he do this?" she asked Anukis.  
"_I don't know. Maybe he wasn't lying, maybe he is really confused, but I know you love him. Maybe you should let him leave."_ She replied back.  
Charlie got up and folded her arms and walked a few meters away from the bench.  
"Well, I'm not stopping him; he can do whatever the hell he wants. As long as I have Alex and you, I'll be okay." Charlie said to herself.  
"Speaking to yourself again?" someone said from the shadows.  
She looked and saw a hint of red hair.  
"You again?" she asked, looking as Tala stepped out into the light.  
"Who else would be following you this time of night?" he asked.  
He walked up to her and expected her to flinch. She expected herself to flinch, but somehow, she didn't.  
"I keep asking myself that question. What are you doing in Paris, or even France for that matter, shouldn't you be crawling around in some God forsaken snow covered landscape?" she asked him.  
He reached out for her cut up hand and took it gently in his. He ran his finger over the bloody cuts.  
"Still hurting yourself." He said, looking at the cuts and she pulled her hand away from him.  
"What do you want?" she asked, going to sit back down.  
He licked his finger tip and walked closer to her.  
"_Tell him to beat it_." Anukis whispered to her.  
She giggled at her. Despite the fact of what he had done to her, she still found him sexy and now that she was single again, maybe it might be time to go for the _real_ bad boy. He sat down next to her and looked at the Eiffel Tower.  
"Beautiful, right?" she asked him.  
He turned to her and smiled.  
"More so now that she's home." He said, smiling at her.  
"_Charlie, he wants to kiss you, tell him to get lost. You love Kai remember_." Anukis begged her.  
"Yes, Anukis, you're right." She sighed out loud.  
Tala's eyes lit up and he realized what had happened at the Louvre'.  
"I knew it, who are you speaking to? A bitbeast?" he asked her.  
She opened her other hand and showed him her beyblade. He reached out to take it and she pulled away.  
"No touching. She won't like it." Charlie said to him.  
He smiled and leaned over to look at her bit.  
"A bitbeast, you got one anyway. What's it's name? Wait, you've said it already, Anukis. Right?" he asked her.  
"Yes," she said, putting her into her pocket.  
"I just got her." She said, looking at him, looking at her.  
"And you're still here because…" she asked him.  
"I'm staying here for a while. Until Boris needs me. And Black Dranzer of course, now you have Anukis, you have no need for her, give her to me." He said, holding out his hand.  
She looked at it, then at his face and shoved it away.  
"I gave her back to Kai." She said, folding her arms over her chest.  
"Kai, he's here?" he asked her.  
She sighed and looked in the opposite direction.  
"Yes, but not for long. He's leaving." She said, looking across the park at the couple walking hand in hand.  
She sighed and looked at her feet. She felt him lean against the back of the bench.  
"Leaving, where are you two love birds going?" He asked.  
She looked at him and looked him dead in the eye.  
"Not we, just he. He broke up with me." She said, getting up and walking a few steps away.  
She heard him get up and walk up behind her.  
"So, now you're single, after all the things you did for him Russia..." He said, brushing her hair off of her shoulder and softly kissing her skin.  
"Tala, please, I don't want to talk abou…"she was cut off by him turning her around. He pulled her against his body and she felt the little resistance she had towards him, slipping. It hurt her aching ribs, being moved unexpectedly, but the warmth of his body made the pain numb, for a little time anyway. She gasped at the pain and felt a tear welling up in her eye. She hadn't taken her pain pills, as she had promised herself, and now she was wishing she had. But the pain was all right. It reminded her of what had happened, for everything she had sacrificed for Kai in Russia.  
"In Russia, I said I would kill him if you didn't do as I say, I still can, if you want me to." He whispered against her lips, teasing her with ever word, brushing lightly against her lips.  
"Tala," she whispered back, brushing her lips against his.  
He smiled and moved just that last centimeter, pressed his lips against hers and kissed her deeply. He drew her closer to him and she whimpered in pain, and this made her gasp for air. She broke the kiss and softly moaned.  
"Still hurts?" he asked her, enjoying her moving like this in his arms again.  
"A…little." She said softly.  
She pushed him away and turned to walk back to the bench, but he had hurt her ribs again. She stopped and breathed deeply.  
"I'm sorry, Tala, but I don't want to start anything now." She said, sitting back down. He came and sat next to her.  
"We're just having fun." He said, brushing her hair away from her neck and leaning closer.  
She leant back against the bench seat and felt his warm breath on her neck as he breathed. She felt him press his lips against her neck and kiss her gently. She opened her eyes and moved away from him. She turned and looked at him, then she lifted her hand and laid it on his cheek. She pulled him closer to her lips and kissed him intensely. She felt him slowly push her over onto the bench seat and lay his body over hers. She felt his heart beating faster and faster and his chest heaving as he breathed in deeply. She felt him run his hand up her thigh and reach for her jean zipper. She reached for his shirt buttons and undid one, then the next. She put her hands on his chest and felt his heart racing under her hands. 


	31. Chapter 31

"CHARLIE!" she heard Alex call her.  
She broke the kiss and heard foot steps. She pushed Tala off her and she sat up.  
"Is that your sister?" he asked, looking in the direction the call came from.  
"Yes," she said, looking as a shadow appeared on the pathway.  
She got up and looked at him.  
"Go, before she sees you." She said, as he got up.  
"We can tell her, you know." He said, doing his buttons up again.  
"No, go." She said, straightening her hair.  
He smiled at her and walked away. He turned around and looked at her.  
"Where must I meet you?" he asked her.  
In her mind she, wanted to shout no, but she couldn't.  
"I'll find you. Now go." She said to him as he disappeared into the shadows.  
She sighed. She was on this slippery slope again. This sinful, lustful, delightful, enticing and dangerous slope of pleasure. Alex appeared in the light. She looked at her and sighed.  
"Here you are, come on, it's getting late. Let's go home." She said, walking up to her sister and touching her shoulder.  
"I would like to stay out little longer; it's such a warm night." She said to her sister, checking the tree line for Tala.  
He was still there, watching them.  
"Besides, I would like my first lesson in Beyblading, if you still have the gall to teach me." She said, walking to a Beyblading dish in the center of the lawn.  
"Of course, but not a long lesson, I'm hungry." She said, walking to the other side of the dish.  
"Now, this is how you load your beyblade into your launcher, properly, to get maximum spin and power into it, right from the start." She said, loading her own blade in.  
Charlie watched her and did as she instructed. They counted down and launched. The two beyblades span in the center of the dish.  
"Good, now, call to Anukis. Ask her to come out." Alex said.  
Charlie swallowed hard and looked at her beyblade glistening in the full moon light. It was beautiful. It took her breath away for a second and she was lost in thought.  
"Charlie, before the power runs out." Alex brought her back to life.  
"Oh, right. Anukis, come out, please." She asked and nothing happened.  
She looked at Alex and she shrugged her shoulder.  
"Try shouting her name." she said.  
Charlie nodded and looked at her blade.  
"ANUKIS!" she shouted piercingly into the air.  
All of a sudden, the sound of gears grinding harder and faster filled the park air. The beyblade catching speed as the defense spikes cut through the air created a soft whistling sound that filled the air. A thin line of gold light emerged from her bit. It grew thicker and thicker and eventually a form started to fill in the beam of light. The beam faded and in front of her was Anukis, the sacred winged beast that had protected the pharaohs of ancient times. With the wings of a great eagle and the intimidating body on a lioness, she bathed the park with golden light. She opened her wings and straightened them out before letting out a mighty roar. Charlie was in awe. She was so beautiful it took her breath away. She looked back at Charlie and Charlie swore she saw her smile.  
"_Hello, Charlie_." She said.  
"Hello, Anukis." she thought back.  
Anukis looked towards the tree line and saw Tala. She turned to face him and roared threateningly at him. She crouched down and pounced in his direction.  
"No, Anukis," she shouted and ran toward the tree line.  
She saw her looking among the trees for him, but he was gone now. Charlie sighed in relief and then gasped. All of a sudden, there was a burst of golden light. She felt something knock her off her feet. She flew back and hit the ground with a hard thud. She felt the sudden energy she had gotten when she summoned Anukis fade and she knew she had lost. Her blade had stopped spinning and Anukis was gone. She looked up and saw that a tree had been knocked over, and Anukis was embedded in the trunk.  
"I guess that means I win." Alex said, looking at her blade spinning in the dish.  
She hadn't seen her sister fall. She looked up at her, getting ready to gloat, till she saw her on the ground. She gasped, called Bellona back and ran to her. She skidded to a stop next to her and looked at her.  
"Are you okay, are you hurt?" she asked.  
Charlie covered her eyes with both hands and Alex saw tears running out from under her hands.  
"I'm losing everything, my match… Kai. Everything." She said, weeping softly to herself.  
"Hey, I've been blading longer, it'll take time, but you'll get better. And as for Kai, is it really worth loving someone who doesn't love himself, or even know himself for that matter." She said, helping her sit up.  
Charlie looked at her and Alex smiled.  
"He feels imperfect, and thus, isn't worth the time of a princess." She said, wiping a tear off her cheek.  
She saw her sister wanting to cry again and hugged her tightly. Charlie hugged her back just as hard.  
"If he comes back whole, maybe you'll love him more, but if he doesn't, then it's his loss." She whispered into her ear.  
"I love him the way he is. I can see who he is, why can't he see it too?" She asked her sister, seeing Tala walking off in the distance.  
"That's something he needs to find out himself. You can't tell him who he is, he won't believe you." She said.  
She felt Charlie laugh and she knew she was all right.  
"That's about right. How did you get to know him so well?" Charlie asked her.  
"Communicating with someone every hour for three days will do that to you." She said to her, as she saw the shadows of the Bladebreakers coming up the path.  
"Heads up, here they come." She said breaking the hug.  
She wiped Charlie's tears away and got up. She walked towards the tree that had taken Anukis hostage. They came into sight and as soon as Kai saw the broken tree with Alex standing next to it, he walked up to it. Kai looked at the smoking blade and pulled out the tree. He held it in his hand and Alex walked closer to him.  
"She did this?" he asked her.  
"By mistake. Without even trying." She said, looking at her sister.  
"She'll be strong Kai, worthy to be called your partner." She said to him, looking at her sister as the others went to her side.  
"We heard the tree falling and we thought we'd come check it out." Max said to her.  
"Thanks Max." she smiled at him.  
They were talking to her but she wasn't getting up. Kai was getting worried. Had she broken something.  
"I know. But will I be strong enough to call her mine." He said, walking towards them.  
Tyson and Ray saw him coming and stepped aside for him. He walked up to Charlie and knelt beside her. He held out her blade and she took it from him.  
"You keep this up, and you'll be giving your sister a run for her money in the next tournament." He said to her.  
She didn't look at him.  
"Thanks." She said softly, trying to get up.  
She came up half way and fell back. Kai caught her but she steadied herself and pushed his hands away.  
"I'm okay." She said to him, getting up.  
She walked a few steps and sat down on the bench. She sighed and looked at Anukis. She was okay.  
"Wow, you can really take a beating." She said to her.  
"_What are you doing, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Let me find him, please, just give me one minute with him_." She snarled back.  
"No. He's staying. He's going to be the only excitement I have for now. And he's a wolf in wolf's clothes. I know what I'm getting into." She thought back.  
The message got through, because she felt like Anukis was giving her the cold shoulder.  
"_Fine then but don't come crying to me when the wolf bites you_." She said, retiring for the night.  
"Can you speak to her through your mind yet?" Kai asked her sitting next to her.  
"Yes, we're getting to know each other. She's awesome." She said, smiling at her bitbeast.  
She felt a subtle glow against her skin. Anukis was blushing. She looked away from Kai and tried to avoid eye contact with him.  
"I'm sorry you're hurting, but imagine if I did this ten years from now, when we're married, with kids, it would hurt more than it is now. At least this way, if, things don't work out, there will someone else for you." He said.  
Only two words caught her attention.  
"Married, kids. Kai, you could see yourself marrying me?" she asked him, looking him dead in the eyes.  
"Of course, but the way I am now, I wouldn't want you to marry me, even though it's the only thing I want, it's not healthy for you." he said to her without hesitating.  
"When are you going to get it? I love you. Rough, anti-social, quiet, strong willed, stubborn you. Any other way and it won't be you." She said to him.  
He sighed and looked down.  
"I know." He said.  
She saw that he wasn't convinced. She reached out and took hold of his hand. He looked at her.  
"That's enough for me. You are worth loving and the risk of loving you is the only thing I want right now." She said, inches away from his face.  
She had to make him understand. He pulled his hands out from hers and she looked down, only to see his hands coming to her face. He cupped his hands around her face and she savored the warmth of his skin.  
"I love you too. But this is something I have to do, not just for me, but for us." He said.  
She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes. This might be the last time she can be close to him.  
"I will come back for you. But I don't know when. And, you shouldn't wait for me. Go out, have… fun." He struggled with the last word.  
She felt the anger welling up again. She got up and looked away from him. She looked a little over her shoulder at him. He got up and walked up behind her.  
"As long as my heart is beating, I will wait for you." She said honestly to him.  
She meant every word. He reached out and took her hand and spun her gently around. She watched his eyes as he pulled her close to him. She lifted her arms and hugged him. She felt him press his lips gently against her neck and kiss it.  
"I love you. Never forget that." He whispered in her ear.  
"I won't." She said. 


	32. Chapter 32

They went back to their hotels and the next few days were spent in the park, Charlie being taught how to blade by Alex, Tyson, Ray and Max. Kenny helped the only way he could; he analyzed her blade and giving her tips where he could. He tweaked her blade and soon, the blade was perfect, she needed to practice. Kai didn't want to blade against her because it would distract her from her lessons. Just as she getting good, it was time for them to leave.

Alex and Charlie took a limo to the airport. Charlie looked out of the window the whole way, not saying anything. The car stopped and the valets opened the doors. The princesses got out and were escorted to the VIP lounge, where the Bladebreakers were waiting to say goodbye.  
"Where is she, we're going to miss the plane." Tyson whined.  
"She'll be here, just a few more minutes." Ray said, watching the door nervously.  
The doors opened and Charlie and Alex walked in. Kai got up from his chair when he saw that Charlie had come with Alex. He wasn't expecting her to come. Ray and Alex smiled at each other and walked up to one another. Charlie slowly walked up to Kai.  
"Hi." She said, looking away.  
"Hi, I thought that, you might not come." He said, looking out the window as their plane was being loaded with luggage.  
"I had to see you off. You are still my friend." She said, rubbing her neck nervously.  
"Yeah, anyway, I'll…see you around." He said, holding out his hand for her.  
"We'll be going now. See you guys some other time." Tyson came and pushed in between Kai and Charlie and hugged her.  
She was slightly shocked, but then she hugged him anyway.  
"Yeah, see you guys. Soon I hope." She said, moving on to Max and Kenny, who had still not gotten used to this attention.  
"Hil, look after this man. He's gonna get into a lot of trouble." Charlie said to Hilary about Tyson.  
"You know it. I will." She said, hugging her goodbye.  
"Can I invite you two to the wedding?" she asked them.  
"Yeah, sure." Charlie smiled at her.  
She saw Tyson blushing in the background; but Kai was still waiting for his goodbye. No one had noticed that Ray and Alex were sharing their first kiss in the corner as Tyson, Max, Kenny and Hilary left the room. She stepped up to Kai and looked at him. He held out his hand for her and she pushed it away. She stepped up to him and hugged him. He took a few seconds but he hugged her back eventually. They broke and looked awkwardly at each other. He picked up his rucksack and looked at her.  
"Bye." He said to her, walking past.  
She felt her heart sink. It was like slow motion as she heard every footstep he took further away from her. She turned and watched as the doors closed behind him and Ray. They watched through the window as they Bladebreakers said goodbye to each other on the tarmac and went their separate ways. Max to an American Airlines plane, Ray, Tyson and Kenny to a Japan Airlines plane and Kai to a British Airlines plane. She had no idea where he was going, seeing as British airways flew worldwide. She watched as he climbed the stairs and disappeared into the plane. She sighed as the plane taxied out onto the runway and took off.  
"He's not coming back." Charlie said to her sister.  
Alex put her hand on her shoulder and hugged her arm.  
"No." she replied as she watched her sister begin to cry. 


	33. Chapter 33

They were escorted back to their car and got in. They drove in silence back to their home. As the car stopped outside their home, Charlie turned to Alex.  
"How long have you and Ray been seeing each other?" she asked her.  
Alex shrugged and opened her door.  
"We're not." She said, getting out and closing the door.  
Charlie sighed and opened her door and got out. She looked around and somehow, it all seemed like an empty shell. She went into the hotel and got into the elevator with Alex. When they reached the top, Alex and Charlie went to their separate penthouses.  
"See you at dinner?" Alex asked before unlocking her door.  
"No, I think I'll just order something. I need to think for a little bit. Good night." She said, unlocking her door and walking in.  
She closed the door behind her and walked over to her couch. She sat down, pulled her throw over her and cried. She cried until the sun was setting and then she saw how beautiful the sunset was and got up. She walked to the balcony doors and opened them. She watched the sunset and then she watched as the blue lights from the Eiffel Tower lit up the park. She felt a chill in the air and went back inside. She locked the door and went back to her couch. She turned on the TV and then she heard a knock on the door. She got up and walked over and opened it. Alex was standing there with bags of food.  
"Chinese, sushi and ice cream and chocolate sauce. It that okay for a broken heart?" Alex asked, walking in.  
"Perfect." She said, closing the door.  
Alex put the food down in the kitchen and showed her the movie she had rented.  
"Mamma Mia! Great, just what I need." She said, popping it into the DVD machine. They had dinner and had a good sing along to a good movie. Close to midnight, Charlie's phone rang. She picked it up.  
"Hello… really…oh…well okay, send him up." She said hanging up the phone.  
"Who was that?" Alex asked, finishing the last of the chocolate sauce.  
"Umm, Stanley Dickinson. He told the front desk he wanted to talk to me about promoting something or other." She said, sitting down.  
"Maybe you should leave before you get roped into this; I know how much you hate the PR side of this." Charlie said, finishing her ice-cream.  
"Do you mind?" she asked Charlie.  
"Go, he'll be here soon. Night. And… thanks for this." She said as he sister dashed for the door.  
"Night." She whispered and ran off after closing the door.  
After a few seconds she heard the elevator ping and the doors slide open. She heard the foot steps as he walked up to her door.  
Knock knock.  
She sighed and got up off the couch and walked over to the door. She took a deep breath, felt for Anukis in her pocket and opened the door.  
"Hello Tala." She said as he stood there in the hallway.  
"I said I would find you." She said as she stepped aside and let him in.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Sorry, but I couldn't wait any more. I know Kai left today, and I thought…you might need some, comforting." He said, looking around the room.  
"Nice. Penthouse?" he asked, turning to face her.  
"Of course. Wine?" she asked him, turning away from him.  
"No. I'm not much of a drinker." He said, walking up to her and touching her cheek. She turned around and watched him as he came closer to her and kissed her. She kissed him back, figuring it was time for that fun Kai spoke about. He kissed her deeply and soon she felt his hands lifting up her shirt. She broke the kiss and stopped his hands. She looked into his ice blue eyes.  
"I'm not… the same." She said to him, hiding her face.  
"You're forgetting, I'm the one who did it to you. I know about the scars." He said, lifting her shirt up over her head. She was wearing a white bra underneath. On her silky soft skin were red angry cuts, scars in the making. He ran his hand slowly over the long one over her torso. He walked over to the light and switched it off.  
"See, now you can't see them." He said, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.  
He felt a tear hit his forearm. He moved around to her front and she was crying. He wiped her tears away and held her hands.  
"I hate you for doing this to me." She seethed.  
"I'm sorry. Look, I also have scars. A few new ones too." He said, taking off his shirt. He had a long cut from where his liver was down his side to his hip.  
"What happened?" she asked him.  
"Boris decided that I needed to be punished for running and not staying to fight you guys back in Russia. He did this to me, and then I got out. I left Biovault. That's why I'm here now. I'm looking to start a new life. With you." He said, reaching for her cut up stomach.  
"We are both scarred and damaged. That's why we need each other." He said, pulling her closer to him.  
She felt her skin touch his rough cut.  
"How do you handle the pain?" she asked him softly.  
"I'm used to pain. I've been in pain since I could breathe. It's my fate." He said to her, taking her hair out of the ponytail it was in. She shook her hair out and leaned against his shoulder.  
"I'm so lonely. Please stay the night." She said, hugging him.  
He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
"Of course." He said, looking down at her.  
"Tala, I meant to ask you, how did I end up in Kai's cell? The last thing I remember before that, I was in bed with you." She said to him.  
"Voltaire ordered that you be given back to Kai as a birthday present. Boris made me do it." He said, brushing her hair off her shoulder.  
"Wanna go to bed now?" he asked her.  
"Yeah." She said, leading him to the bedroom.  
He walked in and closed the door behind him. He watched as she slipped her jeans off and stood naked in the moonlight. The silver light and shadows from the trees outside danced on her skin as the wind blew the trees and he felt himself fall in love with her. She reached out for him.  
"Come to me." She said to him.  
He walked up to her and pressed his body up against hers. He slowly pushed her over onto the bed and kissed her smoothly, confidently. She kissed him back. She broke the kiss and smiled at him as she caught her breath.  
"Tala, don't be gentle anymore." She whispered to him.  
He smiled sadistically and reached down to her cut and gently squeezed the skin. She felt the skin open up slightly and cause her pain. She arched her back and enjoyed the addictively exquisite pain only Tala could cause her. She reached for his cut and pushed her hand against his ribs. He closed his eyes and frowned.  
"I hate you for loving me." She whispered to him.  
He opened his eyes and smiled at her.  
"I love you for hating me." He said, plunging deep into a fervent kiss. 


	34. Chapter 34

She kept seeing Tala on and off through the next two months, keeping it secret from Alex and the public. Late one afternoon she was particularly distracted from her beyblading lesson.  
"Charlie…" Alex called to her.  
She didn't respond. She was thinking about what Tala had said to her earlier that morning.  
She had gone to buy a new book from the book store and he had followed her in. As she was scanning through the rack, looking for the book, she saw the flash of red hair. She jumped in fright and sighed in relief.  
"Tala, it's you. You scared me." She said, holding the book to her blushing face.  
"Sorry. Didn't mean to. Listen, can we move our date to this afternoon, I have to… leave France for a while." He asked her, leaning over the book rack.  
She looked around and saw that no one was watching. She put the book down and walked around the rack to him.  
"Where to?" she asked him.  
"Ah, just Egypt. Boris has moved operations for Biovault there." He said, looking at her.  
She scanned the room and sighed.  
"Just, Egypt." She smiled and turned away from him.  
He walked around her and came back into her line of vision.  
"Yeah, something wrong with Egypt?" he asked.  
She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.  
"I've just always wanted to go there. That's all." She said, walking around to her book again.  
He walked up behind her and took hold of her hand at her side.  
"Come with me." He said, putting his free hand around her waist and pulling her back towards him.  
She leant against his chest and then remembered they were in public. She stood up and stepped away from him. She turned around and looked at him.  
"Not here." She hissed at him.  
He shrugged and took hold of her hand.  
"We've been dating for two months, not counting the time in Russia, don't you think it's time to make it public?" he asked, kissing her hand.  
She blushed and when she saw that people were watching, she pulled it away.  
"No, they won't understand, me dating the same man who held me hostage for nearly a month. Anyway, Biovault is up and running again. Ad you're going back to them. Are they going after, you know who." She said to him.  
She turned around and began to fiddle with the books. He came up next to her and leaned against the rack.  
"You mean Kai." He said to her.  
She looked at him and he knew he was right.  
"Um, probably. Other than me, he's the best." He said, touching the book spines with his finger.  
"Anyway, about our date? I really have to get an answer." He reminded her.  
She looked around for any listening ears.  
"I'll be home in about half an hour. I'll meet you there. When is your flight?" she asked him.  
She took out her book and walked to the counter.  
"Tonight, eight." He said, looking at his watch.  
"I'll pack, meet you at yours and then go straight to the airport." He said, as she reached the counter.  
"Yeah, sure. See you then." She said, looking in her purse for some money.  
As she looked up at the teller, Tala pulled her towards him and kissed her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He broke the kiss and smiled.  
"Can't wait." He said, letting her go and walking away.  
She blushed and looked at the teller, who had kept quiet but was clearly shocked.  
"Just a friend, you know Paris, magic." She said, taking out the money and blushing profusely.  
She met him at her apartment half an hour later and they proceeded up to her suite.  
"You'll let me know if they find Kai, right?" she asked him as they arrived and she put her shopping away.  
"Yeah, but I'll think he'll be a slippery one, and besides, there might not be telephones, and any kind of communication in that place." He said, taking of his shirt. She caught a glimpse of him and felt her heart skip and her skin go cold. He saw her shaking her head.  
"What?" he asked her, undoing his belt buckle.  
"I'll never get used to that." She said, walking up to him and placing her hands on his stomach.  
She remembered how hot his skin felt in Russia, and it was still just as hot.  
"Why are you Russian guy's skin so hot?" she asked him, looking into his blue eyes.  
"I suppose we've had to adapt to stay alive. It's really cold there, you know." He smiled and kissed her.  
She locked her arms around his waist and kissed him back. He broke the kiss and smiled at her.  
"Don't remind me." She said as he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the couch.  
She lay her down and he knelt on the floor and lifted her leg and started kissing her shin. She reveled in the touch of his lips to her skin. She closed her eyes and savored every second. She felt him running his hands up her sides to her hands. He grabbed them and held them tightly as he slipped in under her legs and came up to her stomach.  
"Oh, Tala, that tickles," she squealed as he worked his way up to her ribs.  
He softly licked up to her neck and to her ear lobe, kissed down her cheek and met her quivering lips with his. He pulled her hips towards his and she kissed him deeper. 


	35. Chapter 35

"Come with me to Egypt. I promise I'll take care of you." He said, playing with her hair as they lay under a throw on the couch.  
"No, I can't." she sighed and played with his hand and fingers.  
"Why not?" he asked, her, turning her around to face him.  
"I just can't. My lessons are just getting good, and Alex will miss me, I… just can't go." She said, looking at his hypnotic eyes.  
"It's because of him right?" he asked her.  
She turned her back on him and hugged herself. He got up and wrapped himself up with the throw. She sat up and listened to his ranting.  
"He left you, I'm here. I loved you enough to stay." he said to her.  
"He's not coming back, I know Kai." He said, sitting down next to her and taking her hand.  
"He's not coming back Charlie. Come with me to Egypt, we'll start a new life there." He said, touching her face.  
"Tala, I can't. I'm staying in France." She said to him.  
He got up and got dressed.  
"Well, if you can't come with me, then I guess this is over." He said, pulling on his jacket.  
She got up and wrapped herself in the throw.  
"I guess it is." She said as he walked towards the door.  
He stopped and looked back at her.  
"One last chance. Come with me, please." He begged her.  
She walked up to him and smiled at him.  
"You said you loved me." She said.  
He reached around her and pulled her up to his lips.  
"I do love you." He said to her, kissing her softly.  
"Then tell Boris to forget it. Stay with me, in Paris. We can have our new start here. It'll probably be all over the newspaper after that kiss." She said to him.  
"You don't understand. Biovault is like a magnet. Eventually, it always pulls you back." He said, setting her down on the floor.  
"I guess I'm always gonna go back." He said, turning around and opening the door.  
"Goodbye Charlotte." He said, smiling at her one last time.  
"Bye Tala." She said as he walked out the room.  
She went to her balcony and watched as he walked over the road and caught a taxi to the airport.  
"CHARLIE!" Alex shouted at her.  
She looked up at her sister only to see her beyblade was in her sister's hand.  
"You lost, again. What's wrong with you today?" Alex walked up to her and she handed her her blade back.  
"Ah, just a little distracted." She said, walking to a bench and sitting down.  
Alex walked after her and sat down.  
"Wanna talk about it?" Alex asked her.  
She rubbed her eyes and frowned.  
"I was seeing someone for about two months, and we broke up an hour ago. No big deal though." She said to Alex.  
Alex pulled over a newspaper and showed her the front page.  
"Is it him?" Alex asked her, looking at a cellphone picture of her and Tala in the book store talking, holding hands, and the final picture, one of them kissing.  
"Wow, news travels fast, yeah, but he's gone. No need to worry." She said to Alex.

Alex frowned at her and Charlie looked at her.  
"Charlotte, he kidnapped you, tortured you, he almost raped you numerous times, and now you're sleeping with him." Alex said to her sister.  
"Was, as I said, we broke up. He's gone off the Egypt." She said, getting up.  
She walked to the path and looked at her sister.  
"Can we leave it for today, I'll be fine tomorrow again, I swear." She said, walking towards her limo.  
Alex got up and ran after he sister.  
"Tala, of all people, Tala. Why not some rich business man, or sportsman, why one of the worlds worst masterminds henchmen?" Alex asked as she got into the limo.  
"Guess there was something to the whole evil is good, thing." Charlie said as they started driving home.  
She looked out the window and said softly to herself.  
"Evil was really good." She blushed.  
When they got home, they relaxed, but Charlie's training resumed the next day. 


	36. Chapter 36

Charlie was standing on her balcony, wearing a white sundress and holding her beyblade in her hand. The sun was shining and the cool breeze was blowing into her suite. She had allowed her mind to come back to life today, just for a little while. She allowed herself to think back to this day, exactly one year ago, when she met a young charming beyblader out in the park. She leaned against her railings and felt a tear drip off her face. She looked down and followed it as it landed on a little girl's head. She looked up at the sun and felt the tears running down her face. She heard her door open and she wiped her tears away quickly.  
"Hey, what's up? Ready to fill in the forms for the singles tournament this year?" Alex said, coming to stand next to her sister.  
"Yeah," Charlie said.  
"You'll be great. Your only challenge will be me. You'll do great." Alex said to her sister.  
"Yeah," Charlie said softly.  
Alex looked at her sister.  
"And then when we're done, we'll go hunt purple pigs with green beans." Alex said to her sister.  
"Sure," Charlie said and just stared out blankly over the tree tops.  
"Hey, Charlie, have you been crying?" Alex asked her.  
Charlie looked at her and smiled.  
"Today is the 26th of June, 2011." Charlie said to her squeezing Anukis in her hand. The old cuts had healed up and the only thing reminding her of Black Dranzer's sharp edges was the scars across her hand.  
"Yeah, so, why is that date significant?" Alex asked, leaning against the railings.  
"Today, a year ago, I met, Kai, in Martial Field." She said, looking at her hand.  
As close as the scars were, that's how close Kai was to her. Close enough to feel, smell, touch, but he was always out of reach.  
"Oh, Charlie," Alex hugged her sister from the side.  
"Christmas, New Years, my birthday, everything has come and gone, everything, but him." She hugged her sister too.  
She looked at her and felt the tears welling up again.  
"He's not coming back." She said to Alex.  
Alex looked up at her sister  
"If he doesn't, then he never really loved you." She whispered.  
"I'm just glad that Tala guy didn't come back." She added, looking out over the tree tops.  
"And besides, if he doesn't remember you, then you shouldn't make an effort of remembering him. He's not worth it." She added, she was starting to sound like a motivational speaker.  
"Yeah, but I love him." Charlie said to her.  
"And you letting him leave proved that. You could have very easily banned him from leaving, barring him from all the ports. I have no doubt that you love him." She said to her sister and held her face in her hands.  
"But it's time to move on now." She added.  
"I'll never be able to move on, no one will compare to him. I'll be single forever if he doesn't want me." Charlie said, breaking her sister's grip and walking a few steps away and turning her back on her so she wouldn't see her cry.  
Alex walked up next to her and took her hand.  
"Charlotte, compared to you, every other woman is a washout. You're smart, funny, and gorgeous, you have a way with words, and now you're a kick ass blader. Any man, who chooses another woman over you and your love, is worthless himself." Alex said.  
Charlie wiped her tears away and hugged her sister.  
"Thanks, I needed to hear that." She said, letting go of her sister.  
"Okay, now, let's sign these papers, and find you a dress." Alex said.  
"I've spoken with Oscar de la Renta, Dior and Versace; you can choose one of their dresses." Alex said, sitting down and signing the paper.  
"As long as we can blade a little later." Charlie asked.  
"Of course." Alex smiled and winked at her.  
Charlie walked up next to her and signed her papers. They went out shopping for shoes and dresses.  
"This is the one; do you have it in light blue?" Charlie asked Oscar de la Renta.  
"No, but I can make it blue, for you." He said to them.  
"Great, please have it delivered to Le Marquis Hotel, you know, in Rue Duplex, the first penthouse?" Alex said.  
"Of course, you can expect it tomorrow morning, au revoir, princesses." he said, taking the white dress and walking away to his work room. 


	37. Chapter 37

"Well that was painless." Alex said, looking at Charlie.  
"Yeah, can we just get home now, I really need to eat a slice of chocolate cake." She said, getting into the limo.  
"After fitting the perfect dress. No way. It's fillet for us tonight my dear sister." Alex said, looking at the cell phone.  
She smiled and put it away.  
"Who was that?" Charlie asked her about the message she had just received.  
"No one. Come on, let's go home and order out." Alex said, dodging the question.  
"I have a better idea…" Charlie said, holding up her blade.  
"Ah, not now, I really need to get home." Alex said.  
Something sounded off to Charlie.  
"Come on, one little game." She begged her sister.  
Alex sighed and realized she had created a monster.  
"Okay, let's get this over with. Driver, can you pull over please… Yes, right here… Just do it." She said getting out the limo and walking across the road and into the park.  
"The sooner we start, the sooner I can beat you, the sooner I can get home." She said, coming to a standstill at a dish.  
"Cocky, you shouldn't count your chickens yet." Charlie said, standing opposite her. They raised their launchers and launched. The two beyblades flew at each other immediately, not letting up at all. Charlie looked at her sister and knew her concentration was still on that phone call. She knew it was time.  
"Okay, Alex, let me show you what I've been working on… ANUKIS, special attack!" she shouted.  
Anukis' gear sped up, filling the air with a whistling. Alex looked at her and was quite surprised she had already developed a special attack.  
"Special attack, really, what do you call it and should I take it seriously?" Alex watched as Anukis became airborne and shot up into the sky.  
"I call it 'Wrath of the gods'. NOW, ANUKIS!" Charlie shouted.  
The sound of silence was deafening as they waited. Charlie smiled at Alex when she heard it. She knew what to listen for, but Alex didn't. The sound started off as a soft muffled thumping, like hail on a roof top and grew into an angry roar. Charlie pointed up and Alex looked up to see several fire balls raining down. In the center of the barrage, she saw a glint of gold. The sight of the winged lion barreling down was a sight to behold.  
"Anukis, no!" Alex shouted as the fire balls hit Bellona head on, sending her swirling in different directions.  
With the last shot, Anukis slammed into Bellona, sending her flying out of the dish and landing at Alex's feet, smoking. Alex was speechless. She hadn't lost a match in five years. And to her sister, was the final insult.  
"And yes, you should take it seriously." Charlie smiled, calling Anukis back to her hand.  
She smiled at her blade. Anukis was a real war cat. She loved the thrill of the fight.  
"Na uh, this isn't over yet, best two out of three." Alex shouted, picking up her blade.  
"I thought you were anxious to get back home." Charlie said, walking back to the limo.  
"Oh yeah, I am." She said, running after Charlie.  
They got in and drove home. 


	38. Chapter 38

When they got home, Alex jumped out and ran into the hotel.  
"What's your hurry?" Charlie shouted after her as she rushed up the stairs.  
She didn't even want to wait for the elevator. She sighed and got into the elevator. The doors closed and after a few seconds, they opened and she was shocked by what she saw.  
"What, are you guys doing here?" she asked Tyson.  
"Paris tournament. This time every year. How you doing Charlie?" he hugged her. She hugged him back and smiled at Hillary. She broke the hug and walked up to Max and Kenny, hugging each one. She hugged Hillary and smiled. Her friends were back.  
"I'm, okay. As good as it can be, tell me…" she started asking them.  
"Sorry, we haven't heard anything from Kai." Hillary said to her, taking hold of her hand.  
She hung her head in sadness.  
"Oh, and Ray, where is he?" she asked Kenny.  
"Um, that's a little hard to explain." He said, looking at Alex's door.  
Charlie blushed when she realized what was going on.  
"Oh, well, you guys can crash here by me." She said, opening her door.  
"We have our own room, five stories down." Tyson said, walking and heading straight for the fridge.  
She sighed and was glad to see Tyson hadn't changed much.  
"Oh, okay, but I hope you'll join me for dinner." She asked them.  
She heard Tyson eating something at the fridge and looked over.  
"First, second and third." He smiled at her.  
She smiled back at him and closed the door.  
Ray and Alex joined them later and after dinner and talking about what they had done in the past year, they left to go to their room.  
"Charlie, this was fun. We should do it more often." Tyson said to her.  
"We should Tyson. Maybe I should move to Japan and hang out with you guys." She said to him.  
"No, I was thinking of moving here. You know, after the wedding and all." He said to her.  
"I have very little reason to stay here. He…" she stopped and remembered Tyson wasn't in the loop with her thoughts.  
"Kai…Kai's not coming back to me. I should move on." She said, looking at the floor.  
She felt Tyson hand on hers and he pulled her into a hug.  
"Kai's an idiot for letting you slip through his fingers. Just remember that, kay." He said to her, breaking the hug.  
"I will, thanks Tyson. Hey, how bout you and I have a match tomorrow." She asked him she saw his eyes light up.  
"Yeah sure, but do you know how to control that thing yet?" he asked her.  
"In fact, I perfected my special attack today, taking my first victory." She smiled widely.  
"Really, who'd you beat?" he asked her, smiling widely himself.  
"Alex. Oh, I just remembered, I have a thing tomorrow, I can't battle you. Now hurry, they might lock you out the room." She said, pushing him out the door.  
"Alex, man you've come a long way. Too bad about the battle. See you later." She said, running off.  
She closed her door and walked over to her balcony. The get together didn't feel the same without Kai. She sighed and went in. She cleaned up a little and went to bed. 


	39. Chapter 39

She closed her eyes and hoped that the good time would chase away the bad dream she had been having on and off since Kai left. But it didn't. It always started the same. She was walking in a park in the full moon light. There were cherry blossoms everywhere. The loose petals were blowing everywhere in the breeze. It was calm and serene. The light played on the blooms, reflecting their beauty into her face. The sweet fragrance filled the air. She smiled and thought how lovely this night was. She felt someone watching her and she looked in the general direction she thought that they might be. She saw that someone was sitting on a park bench. Just sitting there, not really doing anything. She could only see a dark silhouette, and couldn't make out who it was, but she already knew who it was, because she had been here before.  
"Kai…" she said and she sound reverberated through the park, throughout the whole world maybe.  
She walked up to him, stepped into his line of sight and looked into his face. It was him. She smiled as he patted the bench for her to sit down next to him. She sat down and felt his arm wrap around her waist and slowly pull her closer to him. She leaned against his chest and felt his heart beating in his chest. The sound always brought her such comfort. It was like knowing that the heart she loved was still beating, and the person she loved was still alive.  
"Hey, look at that…" he said softly, like a ghost.  
Every night she had this dream, his voice changed. She was slowly starting to forget what he sounded like. She looked up at the clock overlooking the park. It was midnight, and the clock was standing still.  
"The time, it's…stopped." She said as she looked into his eyes, his grey intelligent eyes.  
He smiled back and slowly, his face turned dark, and as she watched, he moved further and further away from her. She reached out for him as he smiled sweetly at her as his face disappeared from her sight. She screamed for him.  
"KAI!" she screamed and shot up in her bed.  
She was sweating and breathing hard as she looked at her empty hand stretched out in front of her. She threw herself open and walked over to the window. She opened the window and let the breeze in. She walked over to the balcony doors and threw them open. She walked out onto her balcony and leaned on the rails. She put her head in her hands and shook her head.  
"Not again." She said, looking up at the nearly full moon.  
One more night, and it would be full moon.  
"I miss you." She said, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.  
_Ring, ring, ring, ring._  
She looked inside and walked over to her phone. She picked up and sighed. Who would be calling her this time of night?  
"Hello…" she said, but no one answered her.  
"Hello, is anyone there?" she asked again.  
"Kai, is that you?" she asked.  
She heard someone sigh on the other side of the phone.  
"Kai, I knew it was you." She said, sitting down on her bed.  
"Please come home, I miss you, so much." She said, unable to stop the tears now.  
"Kai, please, it's time to come, I love you… And… you must love me too… I keep dreaming about you…Kai. Come back to me." She said, sobbing into the ear piece. She heard another sigh.  
"But, if you don't love me, then don't bother coming back. I'll understand. I'll give you a deadline, if you're not back by, I don't know, one month, and then I'll know it's over. I won't move on, but it'll be okay. Okay. How's that sound…just say something, Kai Hiwatari, I love you, say something." She said, just before the phone went dead.  
She looked at the hand piece and sighed. It was probably the wrong number, or worse, Tala, calling to tell her that he had found Kai. She put the hone down and looked out her window. Right now, she would have anyone here with her. She was so lonely. She lay down and hugged her pillow and closed her eyes. Maybe this time, she wouldn't dream. 


	40. Chapter 40

But no luck, she looked out the window the next morning and it was light already. She hadn't slept at all. She sat up and looked at the time. It was seven. She shook her head and got up. She made herself some coffee and went to sit down on her couch. She spent the day there and before she knew it, the dress for that evening was there, and Alex was finished getting ready herself. She came into her suite with the hair dresser and makeup artist and Charlie was still sitting on the couch. She looked at her sister was the makeup artist and hair dresser set up.  
"Charlie, are you okay?" she asked her.  
Charlie looked at her and smiled weakly.  
"Just tired, that's all. I had that nightmare again." Charlie said to her.  
"Ah, man that sucks. Now you have to be awake most of the night. We can cancel if you want." Alex said, sitting down next to her sister.  
"No, it's okay, she said, getting up and walking over to the hair stylist.  
"I'll be fine." She said, sitting down and letting the stylist do his work.  
She glided into her blue mermaid dress and zipped it up. She took out her glittery silver clutch bag and opened it up. She slipped Anukis in and closed it up. She slipped on her shoes and walked out the door. She walked into the elevator with Alex and they caught a limo to the function.  
They walked into the grand ballroom to see a lot of delegates there. They mingled, but Charlie didn't say much. She nodded and smiled, but never talked. They sat down and everyone who had to make speeches did. Charlie was floating in her own little bubble. She heard nothing, said nothing. When people clapped, so did she, but she didn't know for what. She felt someone touch her arm and she looked who it was.  
"Princess, are you well, you seem very distant tonight." The prime minister of France asked her.  
She smiled at him and tried to put on her best face.  
"I'm just a little, distracted…" she said, noticing the opened French doors onto the patio.  
"Is it okay if we begin the banquet?" he asked her.  
"Of course, will you excuse me, I need to get some air." She said, getting up.  
The tables got up as she walked past them towards the doors. She stepped out into the cool breeze and breathed in deeply. She let the breeze take her. She leaned against the railings and smiled. Then she heard it. She looked where it was coming from. There was a park down below, it must be there. She leaned over, looking in between the leaves. There it was. A beyblade. She opened her clutch and looked in. She took hold of Anukis and took her out.  
"I'm sorry Anukis." She whispered to her.  
_"It's okay, I understand." _She said back.  
"I guess it's time to move on, time to find a new love." She said, tuning to go inside. She walked in and towards the exit.  
"Beyblading." She added walking towards the exit.  
"Charlotte, sister, what are you doing, the function isn't over yet." Alex said to her, in her formal voice.  
"I'm sorry, Alexandra, but I'm not feeling to well. I'm just going to go home. I'll see you all another time, I'm terribly sorry everyone." She said, as everyone turned to hear what was wrong.  
She looked at Alex and smiled. She walked out the door and before they close it, she looked at Alex and winked.  
"Little minx." Alex said, as she was left to deal with the function alone.  
Charlie sighed and smiled at Anukis.  
"Game on, Anukis." she said, walking out the door of the hotel and across the street, and into the park.  
She walked down the path and rounded and corner to see the Majestics blading. She smiled as she walked up to them. Oliver cut the match short when he saw Charlie.  
"Princess Charlotte, what are you doing here?" he asked, walking up to her.  
"I've come looking for a match. Anyone game?" she asked them, holding up her beyblade.  
"A match, in that dress. Are you sure?" Johnny asked.  
She looked down and realized how stupid it must look.  
"I ditched a function to be here, so make it worth my while. I think I'll take, you, Robert, I believe you name is." She said, pointing at Robert.  
"I'm sorry your highness, but I'm not going to blade a princess. I won't risk hurting you." He said to her.  
"Oh, come on, give me a chance. I'm tougher than I look." She said, walking up to the dish.  
"I'll take you on." Oliver walked up opposite her.  
"It'll be and honor to blade you, your majesty." He said, holding up his launcher.  
"Thank you, Oliver." She said, holding up her launcher.  
They launched on the count of three and Anukis lost no time going on attack. She ground against Unicolion, sending sparks flying in all different directions. Charlie heard a bus pull up behind her.  
"Is that all you got?" Charlie said to Oliver.  
"I'm just seeing what you're made of. Now Unicolion, attack her!" he shouted.  
The unicorn crashed into Anukis, pushing her back slightly.  
"Strong, good, I like a difficult challenge. Anukis, Inundation!" she shouted. The park filled with golden light as Anukis flew up into the sky. She stood majestically over the dish, opened her wings and looked at the Majestics.  
"Oh, she's… beautiful." Oliver said to her.  
"Thank you, but if I were you, I'd pay closer attention to the dish." She said as the sound of speeding up gears filled the air. He looked down and saw that Unicolion was being embedded in the dish floor. He was getting drawn into the dish, like it was mud. He stopped spinning and soon the match was over.  
"How, did you do that?" he asked, jumping in and pulling it out.  
The dish cracked as he did.  
"Inundation turns the dish into a mud like consistency, and the blades left in it, stops spinning. I win. Thank you Oliver, that was really fun." She said, looking at Anukis.  
"How is your beyblade strong enough to do that?" Enrique asked as he looked at what was left of the dish.  
"Anukis is really strong, and we have a special connection. I guess, we just can." She said, looking at Anukis.  
She felt like someone was watching her but she ignored it.  
"Are you competing this year?" Robert asked her.  
"In the singles events, yes. The first round is next week. You guys should come." She said to them as she felt eyes on her back again.  
She turned her head around as the bus pulled away. She knew someone was watching her, but who? 


	41. Chapter 41

She looked hard into the shadows and saw a figure standing there. He was just standing there, watching them blading. She turned her whole body and stepped closer. As she watched the figure stepped into the light emitted by the street light. He was unmistakable. Slate grey hair, grey eyes, and a BBA rucksack.  
"Kai…" she said softly, not knowing if she was seeing things, or if she had one too many glasses of champagne at the function.  
Then he looked at her and smiled his 'I'm going to steal your heart away' smiled that she loved so much.  
"It is…KAI!" she said, taking off in his direction.  
She lifted her dress and ran like he was disappearing agian. She reached him and he held out his arms for her. She launched herself into his arms and held on tightly to him.  
"You're here, you really here." She said, as she spun her around in the street.  
The Majestics watched as they were showered by the radiance of the street light.  
"Lucky jerk." Johnny said to his team mates as Kai put her down on the ground.  
"Maybe if you hadn't refused to blade her, calling her a fragile little princess, you might have stood a chance." Robert said, walking off into the dark.  
"I didn't say that." Johnny said, walking after him.  
"I, just can't believe it, where have you been?" Charlie asked Kai.  
He smiled and looked around.  
"Can we go somewhere a little more private? We have a lot to talk about." He said, looking back at her.  
She felt all the anger she had felt for him over the past year melt away. He was here. That's all she wanted.  
"I know just the place." She said, taking his hand and leading him into the undergrowth of the park.  
In a secluded little part of the park was a bench.  
"Private enough?" she asked as she walked towards the bench and sat down.  
"Perfect." he said, walking after her and sitting down next to him.  
Then came the silence. She was too scared to say anything, in case this was all just a dream and with a single word it would all vanish like before.  
"Got all dressed up I see. Did you know I was coming?" he asked her, looking at her dress.  
"No, long story. I had a function tonight, but I decided to ditch. Find someone to blade a little." She said, smiling.  
"I saw your battle with Oliver, you've become really good." He said, looking ahead of him.  
There was a soft breeze blowing and the cherry blossoms that had come lose from the tree were blowing around. The full moon was beautiful and blue tonight. This was just like her nightmare. Would he disappear again, or would he stay.  
"Kai, let's not dance around, did you find what you were looking for?" she asked him, turning to face him.  
He turned to face her and smiled. He looked so at peace, that was the answer she was looking for.  
"That's a yes, I assume. Okay next question, did you come back here…to be with…me?" she asked him, looking at her high heels.  
He leaned back on the bench and put one hand up behind his head and smiled.  
"I heard you were dating someone else." He smiled.  
She felt the blood rush to her feet. He must know about her and Tala. He must have told him. Bragged more like it, she thought.  
"Some guy from the French soccer team?" he asked her, looking at her face.  
"Oh, him. No, he didn't pass the test." She said, getting up and walking up to a cherry blossom on the ground.  
She picked it up gently and cradled in her hand.  
"What test?" he asked, getting up and walking up behind her.  
She turned to face him, playing with the blossom in her hand.  
"The Kai test. He didn't compare." She said, looking up into his grey eyes.  
"He didn't compare to you. He didn't even come close." She said, unflinching, looking for his reaction.  
He flashed is perfect white teeth. They glittered in the moonlight, and she swore she saw a blush under his skin.  
"Charlie…" he said, taking her hands in his, without crushing the blossom.  
"Now that I really know myself, I found something out, something that's just as important." He said.  
She smiled and knew what was coming next.  
"Which is?" she asked him, looking at his hands.  
He smiled and she felt her heart melt.  
"I know I love you. And I know I want to be with you. Where ever that may be. Japan, France, Russia even. I just want you." He said, letting go of her hand and reaching for his pocket.  
He reached in and pulled out a little black box. She gasped and dropped the bloom that went floating off in the breeze.  
"Kai…" she said as he handed her the box.  
She took it and slowly opened the lid. Inside was a glistening, silver defense ring. Her heart dropped as she took it out.  
"Wow, a defense ring, you shouldn't have." She said, as he took it from her.  
"I know it doesn't look like very much, but just listen up. This was the first beyblade part I ever bought myself. I saved for months to buy the very best the shop had. When I got home, my mom told me that it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. But I'm giving this ring to you as a promise. A promise as strong as this steel defense ring. I will replace this with a diamond ring when I have the money, and then we can get married." He said, taking her hand and slipping it onto her left ring finger.  
She felt her heart strings tug as the ring settled perfectly on her finger.  
"That's beautiful, but why a defense ring?" she asked him.  
He smiled and kissed her hand, then he knelt down, on one knee.  
"I promise to defend you, and your heart, princess. I promise to love you as much as I love every breath that gives me life. I promise to give you everything that is mine. I promise that I will never leave you alone again." He said, kneeling down on one knee.  
"Princess Charlotte…Charlie. Marry me, please?" he asked her.  
She blushed and felt the happiness bubble up in her, and it spilled out of her in the form of a huge smile.  
"YES…" she said, as he got up and she hugged him. She kissed his neck lightly and thought about where he had been.  
"And I promise I'll never push you, or rush you into marrying me." She said, breaking the hug.  
"I know you have issues, and I'll wait. For as long as need be, to be yours." She said kissing him lightly on the lips.  
"Thank you. That means the world to me." He said, pulling closer for another kiss.  
"Wait, you must be starving." She said to him, taking hold of his hand walking towards the town.  
"You know me so well." He said, grasping her hand and keeping pace with her.  
"That's the Kai I know and love." She said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. 


	42. Chapter 42

After dinner, they were sitting in the restaurant, drinking wine.  
"How was your food?" she asked him as the waiter took the plates away.  
"Great." He replied as he leaned back and took hold of his glass.  
"If you don't mind, I've flown half way across the globe, can we call it an early night?" he asked her, getting up and offering her his hand.  
She took it and got up.  
"Kai, I'm sorry, but I seriously don't trust you to be alone." She said, walking out the door with him.  
He frowned at her, waiting for an explanation.  
"You might disappear again. I'd feel a lot better if you slept in my suite, on the couch, of course." She added as he smiled devilishly.  
"Damn." He said, kissing her on the cheek.  
They walked the rest of the way to her hotel, holds hands and talking about where he had been. He didn't say where exactly, but only that he had seen some of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in this past year. They walked into her hotel and stepped into the elevator. When they got to her door and opened it and went in. She flipped the light switch and he walked in.  
"Still exactly the same." He said, putting his rucksack down on the kitchen counter.  
"Well, not exactly, the food in the fridge has changed." She laughed.  
He laughed and looked at her and realized just how funny she was.  
"Let me get you some sheets and pillows," she said, disappearing into the other room. She came out a few seconds later and handed the bedding to him.  
"Here, I trust you can make up your own bed." She said as he walked up to the couch.  
"I've been sleeping in a sleeping bag for a year, I think I'll be fine." He said, throwing the sheet over the couch.  
"Well, goodnight." She said, walking up to him and kissing him lightly on the lips. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him. She felt his hot skin under his clothes, just like before. It was the sensation she had been waiting to feel for nearly a year now. She felt so safe in his arms. She broke the kiss and laid her head on his shoulder, facing his neck.  
"I missed you." She said, kissing his neck.  
"I missed you too." He said, hugging her tightly.  
She forced herself to push him away slowly as he reached for her zip.  
"Kai, it's too soon. And you're tired. Let's call it a night. Okay?" she asked him.  
He sighed.  
"It is what I wanted. Goodnight, Charlie." He said, as she slipped into the other room and closed the door.  
He walked over to the light switch and turned it off. He walked over to the couch and took off his shirt and pants. He lay down and covered himself with the duvet she had given him. He rolled over and went to sleep.  
In her room, she was done brushing her hair, and was staring at the door. She walked up to it and lifted her hand to the handle, but pulled back quickly. She had missed him so much, and they had really only spent one night together. It was too soon, and she had to get to know him again. She had to see if he was still how she remembered him. She sighed and switched off her light. She walked over to her bed, got in and went to sleep. 


	43. Chapter 43

It was close to midnight and he sighed as he sat up on the couch. He couldn't get comfortable, even though he was dead on his feet. He swung his feet over and placed his feet on the floor and stood up. He walked over to the French doors and opened one half. He walked out onto the balcony and leaned onto the railing. The soft wind was blowing his hair back out of his face. Paris was as beautiful as he remembered it. The moon lit up the park and made everything look magical. The white toile curtains flapped quietly in the breeze. He had decided on his travels that he would like to move Paris, to be with Charlie, and to raise his family here.

She rolled around in her bed, too excited to go to sleep, knowing her new fiancé was in the other room. She got up and walked over to her balcony and opened the doors. She walked out and looked around. He saw her walk out in his peripheral vision. She was wearing a white satin night gown that flapped in the breeze. Her long brown hair was loose and flapped just a freely as her gown.  
"Fancy meeting you here." He said, as she jumped with fright and looked over to the balcony next to her.  
"Kai, my goodness, you scared me. How long have you been standing there?" she asked him, as she turned around, leaning against the railing and looked at him.  
"Long enough to see how lovely you look in the moonlight." He smiled at her and he saw the tiniest tinge of pink light up her cheeks.  
"Thank you, Kai. You know, when I was younger, I used to come out here and imagine myself as a princess in an ivory tower, and a handsome young prince on a white horse would ride up and save me, to whisk me away from all the responsibilities." She said, leaning over the railing, her long hair flapping in the breeze.  
He looked to her finger and she was still wearing her ring. He smiled and thought of a good response for that line.  
"Would a red phoenix be okay? Kind of all out of white horses." He said and he saw her white teeth flash in the moonlight.  
"Yeah, that would be okay. But it was about that time of my life I realized, that only I could save me." she said, skimming her eyes over the tree tops.  
She was looking for the flash of red. She was sure now that her life coming back together, Tala would make his appearance.  
"Save you, from what, or who?" he asked, turning to face her.  
"Myself. You see Kai, I've been in this ivory tower for so long, I've forgotten what it was like to just be loved for me. For my hair color, or my good deeds. My love of animals, or justice. Everyone loves me, because of who I am. I only discovered a few years ago that I was a royal, by mistake too. But it feels a million light-years away. Before, I didn't even have one boyfriend, I wasn't pretty enough, I figured, but now, that I have a tiara on, I'm considered one of the great beauties of this generation." She said, looking at the floor and shaking her head.  
"It's not right." She added.  
She looked at him and smiled.  
"So when I met a handsome man in the park last year, who didn't know who I was, I played along. I wanted to have a perfect moment with a perfect stranger. Just one moment." She said, before walking across the balcony closer to him.  
"You've been awfully quiet. Say something." She said, watching his face.  
This was the Kai she knew and loved and now that he knew that too, everything was going to be ok.  
"I've learnt to listen." He said, looking at her smiling face.  
"You just poured you whole heart out to me. If I had spoken, I would know a lot less than I do now. Now I know you. Your heart, my heart. And I know what I want now." He said, speaking very philosophically.  
She was just glad he was here, and had to drink nothing to see him here.  
"Where were you Kai? You've been away for so long." She whispered to him.  
He smiled and closed his eyes, leaned his head back and the breeze caught his moonlit blue hair.  
"I've been to so many places; I can hardly remember them all. All I know is that I'm glad I'm here, with you." He said, looking at her and smiling.  
She blushed and smiled back.  
"Well, tell me this, has my prince arrived? She asked, reaching out to him over the expanse that separated them.  
He reached out to her and grabbed hold of her hand.  
"Yes, he has. And he can't wait to start his life with you at his side." He said, squeezing her hand tightly.  
Then, he let go, and went back inside. She stood on the balcony, confused. Was he going back to his couch, now? Then she heard her bedroom door open. She turned to see him standing in the doorway.  
"Can I come in, Charlotte?" he asked her.  
She leaned back against the railings. She wanted him so much in that moment, it hurt. She wanted him to come over and kiss her. To take her over to her bed and make love till the sun replaced the moon, but was it too soon? She thought so, but then why was she feeling this way. She felt her heartbeat quicken and her body temperature rise. She wanted him, then and there.  
"Yes…" she replied.  
She watched him as he strode up to her, confidently and smolderingly, as if the world belonged to him. He stepped up the step and took the last stride up to her. He reached around her as she gasped lightly for air. He pulled her gently towards her and she put her hands on his chest. She felt is heart beat, stronger than ever, beating under her right hand. She could feel the heat emanating off his body like flames. Her prince of fire was back in her life. She rested her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat under her ear.  
"Now I know that I'm worthy, of your love." he said, taking her chin between his fingertips and turning her head up to his.  
He leaned over and met her lips with his. She reached around and squeezed him between her arms, not wanting to let him go. Her hand crept down to his shorts and found her hands unwillingly clawing at his waist band. He reached down and stopped her hand. He broke the kiss and watched as her red lips mouth the words  
"I want you."

He smiled and lifted her off her feet. She forced her lips onto his again, and he didn't stop them. He carried her inside and put her down on the ground. He reached down and slowly, lifted the white satin gown up and over her head. He dropped it and was in awe of her skin. It look like she was lit up from inside, with the moonlight dancing over it. She reached for her torso and hid it under her folded arms.  
"The scars…" she whispered, but he lifted his hand and put it over her mouth.  
"It doesn't matter. Now we match." He said, feeling the scars on his own torso and chest with his free hand.  
She smiled and stepped up to him and reached down, pulling his boxer shorts off. They dropped to the floor and he began to blush, finally. She touched his chest and leaned into him.  
"I love you Kai." She said.  
She felt his hand run down her back. He lifted her up into the air and gently laid her down on the bed. She lifted the duvet and he got under it. Without saying a word, he lay down on top of her and kissed her deeply. She reached around his chest and hugged his torso. She kissed him back deeply as the little tingles galloped up and down her spine. 


	44. Chapter 44

The next morning, the breeze blew softly against her face and she heard the flapping of the chiffon curtains. She slowly opened her eyes and looked out the open door. Last night seemed like a dream. Was it real, did it really happen, she thought as she lay there, to afraid to turn over and find that it was a dream. She felt someone move next to her and she lifted her head and looked over. The person was facing away from her but she knew who he was. The blue hair was a dead give away. She smiled and lifted herself up out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She showered and got dressed. She watched as he sprawled out on the bed and fell onto the ground and she laughed at him. This is what she imagined her life would be like. This feeling, in this place, with this man. She left and walked into the kitchen. She switched on the TV and watched the sports channel. They had a special broadcast about the next day's tournament. She was blading today in the singles tournament, but was Kai blading tomorrow with his team? His team, she thought. Did they know he was back? She switched on the kettle and called her sister's room. Ray was sure to be there.  
"Hiya, what's up?" Alex asked.  
"Hi, tell me, is Ray there?" Charlie asked her sister.  
There was a silence and then Alex answered.  
"Why would he be here?" she said.  
Charlie sighed.  
"Because he's been sleeping over every day since he's been back, just tell me, is here there?" she insisted.  
"Yeah, ok, but don't tell anyone." Alex said.  
Charlie sighed again.  
"Is…he…there?" she asked again.  
"Yes, so, why do you want to talk to him?" Alex asked.  
Charlie heard Ray's voice in the background.  
"Who's on the phone?" he asked.  
"Charlie, she wants to talk to you." Charlie heard before Alex handed the phone to Ray.  
"Hey Charlie, what's up?" Ray said.  
"Sleeping with my sister again, hey?" Charlie joked.  
Ray went silent.  
"Okay, okay, I'm really sorry for not telling you, but…but…" Ray began to explain. Charlie laughed and Ray went quiet again.  
"Ah, ok. So you knew." Ray asked.  
"It was obvious. Anyway, when last did you guys hear from Kai?" she asked him.  
"We've heard nothing. But seeing as the tournament is tomorrow, I guess, he's not coming…sorry Charlie." Ray said.  
She smiled and was bursting to tell him.  
"Could you get the team together, and meet me at my place, in say, an hour?" she asked him.  
"Yeah, sure, but why? Aren't you blading today, with Alex?" He asked her.  
"Against Alex, yes, but I need to talk to you guys first." She said.  
"Yeah, sure see you then." He said, hanging up.  
She put the phone down on the hook and turned to go into the bedroom to ask Kai if he wanted coffee, when she saw him standing in the doorway. He was wearing his black boxer shorts.  
"Ah, Kai, I was just, oh, you scared me." She jumped.  
He smiled and walked up to her and without saying a word, wrapped his hands around her face and gently pulled her into a kiss. She blushed and kissed him back. After a few intense seconds, she broke the kiss and smiled at him. She laid her head on his forehead and smiled.  
"Well, good morning," she smiled.  
"Was it a good night too?" he asked her softly.  
"Oh, definitely." She blushed and pecked him on the lips.  
"Coffee?" she asked him as he let go of her and he sat down at the kitchen counter.  
"Yes, please. Who was that on the phone?" he asked, watching her.  
"Ray, I was thinking, do they know you're back. I plan to tell them. Is that ok?" she asked, handing him his coffee.  
He looked into his coffee mug at the swirling froth.  
"Kai, should I tell them that I don't know where you are?" she asked him, reaching over the counter and taking hold of his hand.  
He looked up at her and frowned.  
"My old team. They were like family to me, and now; I hardly remember what they sound like." He said to her.  
She sat down and looked into his eyes.  
"I'll call off the meeting," she said, reaching for the phone.  
He reached out and stopped her hand.  
"No, I need to let them know I'm back. Although I can't blade tomorrow, they need my support. I'll be there." He said, taking his coffee mug and sipping the hot coffee.  
"You're not blading, why?" she asked him.  
"No email in Timbuktu. I couldn't get the entry form to them." He said, with a straight face.  
Her jaw dropped.  
"Timbuktu… you went to Timbuktu..." she ranted, and then she saw the smile play across his face.  
"No, not really." He laughed.  
She blushed and smacked his free hand.  
"The fax machine was down too." He joked.  
"In Timbuktu?"  
"Timbuktu." He said, sipping his coffee again.  
"Mmm, this is good coffee." He added.  
She frowned and sipped her coffee. 


	45. Chapter 45

One hour later, the team came over and they saw that Kai was there. They picked up right where they left off. Like Kai had never left. Charlie smiled before Alex pinched her arm.  
"Ouch, what was that for?" Charlie scolded her.  
"Why didn't you tell me he was back?" Alex asked.  
"You would have told Ray, who would have told everyone else." She said, looking at the Bladebreakers.  
"It was Kai's place to tell them" she said, looking back at Alex.  
"Mmm, and that defense ring on your ring finger?" Alex asked her.  
Charlie looked at the ring and she looked at Kai, who was looking at her. He got up and walked over to her, as she walked past Alex to get to him. They took hold of each other's hands and Kai looked at everyone.  
"Guys, we have something to tell you." Kai said, looking at everyone.  
The room fell quiet and Kai looked at Charlie.  
"Last night, I asked Charlie to marry me." He said, looking into her eyes.  
"And I said yes." Charlie said, looking into his eyes, and then breaking to see a room full of surprised expressions.  
"What?" Alex asked her.  
Charlie turned to face her.  
"I'm marrying Kai, Alex." She said to her.  
Tyson jumped up and stormed over to Kai.  
"How could you!" he shouted at him.  
Kai moved Charlie to behind him and got ready to take Tyson.  
"Dude, you gotta discuss this with us first." He added, holding his hand out for Kai to shake.  
Kai reached out and grabbed it. They shook hands.  
"Do you guys approve?" Kai asked him and the others.  
Kenny jumped up and smiled.  
"About time." He smiled at them.  
"Come on, let's see the ring." Hillary ran up to Charlie and lifted her left hand up to see the defense ring.  
The room fell silent again.  
"I'll get a real one, one day." Kai added.  
"No, I like my defense ring. This is my engagement ring. Do you have a problem?" she looked at everyone.  
"No, of course not." Everyone said in unison.  
Alex broke the awkward silence that followed.  
"Ok, guys, we need to get ready for the tournament. You coming?" Alex asked everyone.  
"Sure, I wanna see how good she's gotten." Kai said, kissing Charlie on the forehead.  
"Pretty good. But still not good enough." Alex said, leaving the apartment to go get dressed.  
"Can you beat her?" Kai asked Charlie after the others all left.  
"I can give her a run for her money." Charlie smiled, pulling on her jeans.  
"I'll be cheering you on all the way." He said, getting up and zipping her pants up.  
"Thanks. But you should probably know, Ray is dating Alex, and he'll probably be shouting for her. Just try, not to kill each other." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  
"Finally." He said, kissing her.  
He reached for the bottom of her shirt and she stopped him.  
"No, we're going to be late." She said, breaking his hold and walking for the door. She opened it and stood aside.  
"Come on, the limo's waiting." She said.  
He sighed, smiled and walked out the room. 


	46. Chapter 46

At the tournament, Alex and Charlie both advanced to the finals. The whole day, Charlie felt like some one was watching her, other than Kai and the others. She would look around for the person she was sure was watching her. When it came to her and Alex's match, the crowd was silent. They didn't know who would win.  
"So, here we are. The final match for the European tournament, and as expected, the two princesses made it to the finals." DJ Daichi said into his mike.  
"Hey, shut it Daichi and let them get to it already." Tyson yelled out from the crowd. Daichi turned red in the face and turned to look at Tyson.  
"TYSON! SHUT UP AND LET ME DO MY JOB!" he shouted into the mike.  
"Those two, will they never stop?" Alex said to Charlie.  
"Yeah, let's get this party started." Charlie said, getting ready to launch.  
"Ah, eager to lose I see." Alex said, getting to launch herself.  
"Only if you are." Charlie smiled.  
She looked at Daichi, who was still arguing with Tyson and whistled. He looked over to them.  
"We're waiting." Charlie said.  
"Oh, ok, here we go. 3…2…1…LET IT RIP!" he shouted and the girls launched.  
The two went right at it, grinding and hitting each other hard.  
"COME ON CHARLIE, YOU CAN DO IT!" Kai shouted out over the silent stadium. She blushed and Alex saw it.  
"Oh, come on; get your head in the match." Alex said to her.  
"It is, come on, is that all you got." Charlie said to her, as the blades hit each other again.  
"Oh, you want more, ok, here it comes. TITAN SHOCKFIRE!" Alex shouted and Bellona began to engage her engine gear.  
The huge Snow Leopard emerged and took off into the sky. Everything went deadly quiet. While Charlie was looking for her, she saw the flash of red again in the crowd, like all those months ago.  
"No, can't be." Charlie whispered to herself as Bellona came crashing down into the dish.  
A shockwave of fire emanated from her and knocked Anukis out of the dish.  
"And it's all over for Charlie, Alex wins!" Daichi said and the crowd erupted.  
Charlie looked at her blade. She knelt down and picked it up and looked at where she saw the flash of red. There he was, Tala, walking down the upper most hallway. Charlie took off running towards the exit.  
"Charlie, where are you going?" Alex shouted after.  
She ran down the hall, to the elevator. 


	47. Chapter 47

She pressed the top button and the elevator shot up. It felt slow, painstakingly slow. Then the ping came. The doors opened and she rushed out. She looked around and saw him disappear into another hallway. She ran after him, her heart pumping in her throat, beating faster and faster, harder and harder. She came to the hallway and looked down it. It was pitch black. This was just like the nightmare she used to have as a young girl. A wolf hiding in a dark passage, waiting to kill her. She breathed in deep and looked around. No one was coming, and Tala was in there. She looked into the darkness and stepped in. She stepped in, feeling her heart beating in her ears. She heard a growl. She stopped and her blood ran cold.  
"Wolborg, is that you?" she asked.  
She felt the cold white fur of the wolf brush against her cheek. What came next was the searing hot touch of a Russian. She jumped at the sensation after the cold brush of Wolborg.  
"Tala." She said softly, letting him touch her face.  
"You'll never forget my touch, will you." He whispered into her ear.  
She felt his hot breath on her skin and felt herself on this slippery slope again.  
"No." she said, stepping back.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
"I came to see you, but I see Kai is back. Are you two back together?" he asked her, running his index finger down her neck.  
"We're engaged. I'm going to marry him." She said to him as she felt the cold fur behind her.  
She stepped forward away from the wolf into Tala's arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.  
"Married, to Kai." He asked, kissing her neck.  
She pushed his head away and looked at him.  
"Yes. Now leave." She said walking away from him.  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his embrace.  
"But Kai's not here now." He said, kissing her deeply.  
She felt herself wavering, enjoying his violent kiss, but she pushed him away.  
"Leave." She said, walking away into the light.  
She walked down the hall and back into the elevator. As she doors closed, she sank to the floor. She still felt something for Tala, and she heard that it was possible to love two people a once, but how could she love two people who were so vastly different. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. Love for Kai. Love for Tala. Guilt for kissing Tala. Why was this happening to her? She had everything she ever wanted. Why was destiny tempting her to love Tala? She stood up and pushed aside those feelings and thoughts.  
"I love Kai. I'm marrying Kai." She said as the doors opened and Kai was standing in front of her.  
"Charlie…" he said as she flew into his arms and began to cry.  
"Hey, don't cry, you'll always have next year to try and beat her again." He said, stroking her hair.  
"I love you Kai, I love you so much." She cried into his shoulder.  
"I love you too, Charlie. Let me get you home." He said, walking her towards the doors. 


	48. Chapter 48

That night, Charlie couldn't sleep. She knew that Tala was back in town for some sinister reason. She stood on her balcony and looked out over the park. Tala now knew that Kai and she were getting married, and he would take revenge for that. She felt Kai's hands wrap around her waist and leaned back into him.  
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.  
"My match…" she said absent mindedly.  
He sighed and hugged her tightly.  
"Everyone loses matches. Even I've lost some. It's really nothing to worry about. Just push yourself harder next year." He said to her.  
She turned around in his arms and looked at him.  
"I'm not worried that I lost the match, I'm worried about…" she said, taking his arms off her and stepping up to the railings.  
"Something else." He leaned next to her and nudged her.  
"If we're gong to be spending the rest of our lives together, I want to be able to talk about anything." He said, looking over the park.  
He looked at Charlie and saw a tear rolling down her cheek. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.  
"Talk to me Charlotte. What's worrying you?" he said as she leaned on his chest and began to cry.  
"I saw…Tala…" she whimpered.  
He thought for a second and he had heard a rumor that she and Tala were dating after he left. He lifted her head off his chest and looked at her.  
"Tala, where?" he asked her.  
"On the top floor of the stadium. He knows you're back, and he knows we're engaged. I know he's gonna do something, I just know it. He's working for Boris, I know it. What if he…" she said as Kai put his index finger on her lips.  
He sighed and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.  
"I saw him too. When we got there, I saw him going round a corner." He said, hugging her tightly.  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his new and improved Dranzer blade.  
"I can handle anything Tala, Boris, or Biovault can throw at me. I'll protect us no matter who comes after us." He said, looking at his new blade.  
"Stopped by in America hey. Judie Tate perhaps?" Charlie asked him.  
"Of course." He smiled, leading her back into the room and sitting her down on the edge of the bed.  
He knelt down and kissed her hand.  
"Kai, what if they kidnap you again?" she asked him.  
He smiled to himself, got up and sat down next to her.  
"Then I'm sure Alex will have a lot of help getting me back this time. Don't short change yourself, you much stronger now than last time. Who knows, maybe you won't even need Alex's help. Now come back to bed. The Bladebreakers are blading tomorrow, and they'll need our support." He said lying down.  
She lay down and put her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her.  
"I love you Kai." She whispered as she fell asleep.  
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.  
"I love you too, Charlotte." He said, drifting off to sleep. 


	49. Chapter 49

The next morning, they all left for the stadium, and as soon as they got there, Charlie and Kai were looking for him. Kai took hold of Charlie's hand and set her at ease.  
"I don't see him." He said to her.  
She smiled at him and began to walk into the stadium.  
"Me neither." She said, leading the way to their private box.  
The matches went quickly, with the Bladebreakers advancing to the final round as expected.  
"Tell me Kai, how long has Tyson been blading?" Alex asked him.  
"I don't know, I met him, maybe 14 years ago, and he was blading back then, so at least that long. Maybe longer." Kai explained.  
Alex huffed and folded her arms.  
"He's very sloppy for a veteran. However Ray blades with such finesse. He must have been blading since he was very young." She said, standing up for Ray.  
"Careful Alex, you're showing you emotions for Ray." Charlie said to Alex.  
Alex looked at her and smiled.  
"That's the point. I plan to tell Ray later that, I, love him." She said, blushing.  
Charlie leaned over and smiled at her.  
"Good for you." She said, taking hold of her hand.  
As Tyson finished off the match, there was a knock at the door.  
"Enter…" Alex called, watching the match.  
"Princesses, Mr. Hiwatari … I don't mean to startle you, but we need to… evacuate you from the stadium." He said, standing at the door.  
He was sweating profusely and out of breath. He was clearly afraid too. They all got up and walked towards him.  
"Ah, and this was just getting good." Alex said, walking past him.  
"Why, might I ask?" Charlie asked him.  
"There has been a… bomb… discovered in the stadium. We have not been able to disable it. It bares this mark." The man said, handing Kai a photo.  
"Biovault, we need to get everyone out of here now." He said, hurrying Charlie to an elevator.  
He pushed her and Alex in and pushed the button. The doors began to close and Charlie stopped the doors.  
"Why aren't you coming?" she asked him.  
Then the sirens in the stadium went off.  
"Ladies and gentleman, we ask that everyone proceed to the exits as quickly and orderly as possible. The matches for the remainder of the day as been postponed." Daichi said over the speakers.  
There was a great sound of rushing feet and children screaming.  
"I need to help my team. I love you." He said, pushing her hand away and letting the doors close.  
Charlie threw herself at the door and banged on them.  
"KAI! NO KAI COME BACK, PLEASE, COME BACK!" she screamed as Alex worried about Ray and the others.  
There was no direct route from the stadium floor out. They would take the longest to get out. The doors opened at the bottom and the crowd was running in every direction possible. They all looked around and saw no bladers.  
"Where are they?" Alex asked, looking over the crowd for them.  
Then Charlie saw him. The man that had been driving the limo the day she was kidnapped in last year. The Russian.  
"They're here." She said, heading back towards the elevator.  
Alex grabbed her and stopped her.  
"Who?" she asked.  
"Boris, Tala, the Russians. They're here. They're after Kai." She said, heading towards the door.  
A crowd of people rushed out and pushed her back.  
"KAI!" she shouted over and over again.  
Soon the crowd dissipated and she managed to get back in. She ran up and down halls screaming for him. She rounded a corner and saw a duffle bag lying on the ground. She could hear ticking and she looked around. She slowly walked up to the bag and looked inside. She saw the flashing red lights of the bomb. She stepped back and ran on down the hall. She had one minute to find Kai.  
"KAI, WHERE ARE YOU!" she screamed.  
On the opposite side of the stadium, Tala and the Russians were loading bladers into a van. There were a lot of people, but all were knocked out. All but one.  
"When I get out of here, heaven help you!" Alex shouted at them.  
She looked at Tala and spat at his feet.  
"I knew you were no good." She said as he grabbed her face.  
"Tell that to your sister. She screamed my name, over and over again. For over two months." He said to her.  
"Clearly I'm good at something. Knock her out." He said as some one rammed a needle into her arm. He turned around and looked for Charlie.  
"Now, where is my little French princess?" he said, looking around the crowd. Something caught his eye in the stadium and he looked up. It was her. She was in the stadium he was about to blow up.  
"Charlie, NO!" he said, running into the stadium.  
He ran up the stairs, down the hall and towards where she was running to and met her half way up to the next level. He ran smack dab into him and he held her tightly, missing those days when they were a couple.  
"TALA! Where's Kai?" she shoved him back.  
"I, I don't know. I heard the bomb warning, I saw you in here. Come on, we need to leave, now." He said, taking her hand and running with her.  
"It's you; you wanna blow up this stadium. Don't play dumb. Where is he?" she shoved him again.  
She saw his eyes and expression turn dark and he pushed her up against the wall.  
"Don't…push…me." He said, looking at her in this position.  
She stroked her face with his left hand.  
"Once more, for old time's sake." He said, reaching for her shirt.  
He unbuttoned the first button and laid his hand on her chest. She felt the tingles starting again. Her temperature was raising and her blood was boiling. She felt her breathing race and her heart beating in her ears. He leaned in and kissed her hard as he reached down and undid her jeans zipper. She felt his hand slipping into her pants and pushed him away.  
"No Tala. No." she said, doing up her zipper and walking away.  
"Charlie!" he shouted after her.  
She turned to look at him. He was holding the detonator.  
"You have 30 seconds." He said, running down the stairs.  
She began to run too. As she reached the doors, she heard an explosion. She looked up and saw that the stadium was coming down. She began to run faster and faster as the crowd cheered her on. She dived into the crowd and fell to the ground. The onlookers helped her up and lifted her above their heads. She watched as the stadium was turned into nothing but a pile of rubble and dust.  
"Princess Charlotte, that was a close one." Johnny McGregor said to her.  
She looked down at him and frowned.  
"Please tell me my sister is with you guys." She asked them.  
"No, we saw two big guys escorting her to the other side of the stadium. We thought they were your security team." Robert said to her.  
"No, that wasn't my team." She said, gesturing to everyone to put her down.  
She walked to the front of the crowd and addressed them.  
"My people. Princess Alexandra is missing, and so are the Bladebreakers. Please help me find them." She said, walking towards the rubble.  
Everyone followed her, afraid of what they might find. As the night wore on, no one was found and everyone but the bladers was accounted for. Charlie sat down on a park bench and watched as everyone went home.  
"He must have them all." She said to herself.  
"Who is he?" Robert asked her.  
"Boris, from the Biovault Corporation. I saw Tala here yesterday and today. And now all the best bladers, no offence, are missing. He must have them." She said, beginning to cry.  
"They're gone. Where could they be?' she said, sobbing into her hands. The Majestics sat around her, comforting her.  
That night, when she couldn't sleep. She had gotten word that the Louvre' had been broken into and all the bitbeasts had been stolen. She remembered that Tala told her that Biovault operations had been moved to Egypt. She looked at Anukis.  
"Looks like you're going home." She said to her as Anukis glowed in her hand.  
"I'm coming Alex, Kai. They won't get away with this." She said, picking up the phone.  
She called the chief of the air force and organized a flight to Egypt, and equipment. She called the Majestics and organized a meeting in the park.  
"It's really late, what's up?" Oliver asked her.  
"It's Boris, I know it. He's planning something. We need to stop him before he has enough time to put whatever he's planning into action. We are all that's left. We are the only ones that can stop him.  
"What do you want to do?" Robert asked Charlie.  
"Boys, we're going to Egypt. That's where Biovault is. That's where they are. We're going to get them." She said, looking at them.  
"No offence princess, but against Tyson, Max, Ray, Kai, Alex, and the Blitzkrieg Boys, and Kenny as their technician and who knows who else they've taken, the four of us don't stand and chance." Enrique answered they question.  
"The five of us do stand a chance. Like Dranzer, I suspect Anukis will have the home ground advantage." She said, looking at her blade.  
The others looked at her and frowned.  
"You didn't think you were going to get all the fun. I'm planning this thing, and I'm leading it. I won't be sitting on the sidelines like a helpless little princess anymore." She said, not taking her eyes off Anukis.  
"Yes, even so, I suspect we might be horribly outnumbered." Robert said.  
She looked at him and smiled. All the worries melted away with that reassuring smile.  
"Don't worry Rob, I can win. Trust me." She said sweetly.  
They all looked at each other, wondering if they should go with. They realized she couldn't do it alone. Robert nodded to them and they agreed they would help.  
"But how are we going to get there. I doubt commercial airliners will stock stealth equipment." Oliver brought up.  
"Seeing as I am a princess of France, the French air force is mine to do with as I please. I asked them for a transport plane, parachutes, and hi-tech suits designed for stealth. One of our little covert projects." She said, looking at them.  
"Biovault messed with the wrong woman." She said as Anukis glowed gold.  
"When do we leave?" Johnny asked her.  
"Meet me at the airport at daybreak. We'll get there tomorrow night. I'll explain the plan on the plane.  
"Now I gotta cancel my dates for tomorrow." Enrique said, dialing on his phone. They all laughed at him but Charlie. She knew what was coming. The fight of her life. 


	50. Chapter 50

The next day, as the sun was rising over the airport tarmac, the Majestics strode out towards an air force carrier plane. Charlie was talking to the pilots when she saw them. She dismissed them and walked up to the Majestics.  
"Good, everyone made it." She said gesturing towards a group of men standing nearby.  
They walked up to them and handed each of them a bag.  
"In these bags are a suit and a parachute. You can get changed on the plane. The plan is we go in, find the bladers and get out." She said, turning and walking towards the plane.  
"No heroics and no showing off. We could get killed here." She said, looking at them.  
"Damn. There goes my plan to win you over." Johnny said to her.  
"Thanks Johnny, but I need to tell you guys something. This might hurt a little Johnny, but I'm engaged to Kai." She said unflinchingly as she got onto the plane. Johnny stopped and looked at her.  
"And now you expect me to save Kai. Geez…" he said, climbing onto the plane.  
They sat down and the pilots started up the engines.  
"Did we all bring our weapons?" she asked them.  
They all took out their new and improved blades.  
"Good." She said, strapping herself into her seat.  
"We can get going now." She added. 


	51. Chapter 51

The plane ride was long and soon they got to talking. They knew nothing of the facility, where it was, what they layout was. Charlie said if Tala was there, she might be able to get in and take a sneak around.  
"How on earth are you going to do that?" Robert asked her, as Johnny got up and went to put the suit on.  
"Tala and I kind of used to… date…" she said, looking at the ground.  
Johnny stuck his head out of the bathroom and frowned at her.  
"How many guys have you dated?" he asked her.  
"Just Tala and Kai, but Kai doesn't know, and please don't tell him. He'll never forgive me." She said, looking at her blade.  
Johnny closed the door and carried on getting dressed.  
"It would have been better if you'd dated Tyson, and we all know how Kai feels about Tyson." Oliver said to her.  
"Yeah I know, but that's how it happened. Tala has… something about him." She added.  
"Yeah, an icicle for a heart." Johnny said, coming out of the bathroom.  
"I just have one more question." He said, looking at them.  
They looked at him and he turned around.  
"Does this hi-tech, experimental, highly advanced suit make my bum look big?" He laughed.  
They all joined in, even Charlie.

That night they reached Cairo and the Minister of International Affairs was there to greet them.  
"Hello and welcome to Egypt Princess Charlotte." He said, taking her hand and kissing it.  
"Thank you. May I ask what time it is?" she asked him.  
"Six thirty, ma'am." He said, escorting her to a limo that was waiting for them.  
"I hope you enjoy your stay here, and if there anything you need, you just need to ask the hotel to call me." He said, closing her limo door after they had all got in.  
"I will, thank you." She said as the car drove off.  
They arrived at their hotel and began to settle in.  
"I think I'll take a ride out to Biovault operations tonight. Maybe Tala will let me in." she said, to them.  
"Are you sure you don't want us go with you." Enrique asked her.  
"No, I'm fine. You guys need to rest, and besides, I have some sightseeing to do. Anukis would like to go back to the Great Pyramid." She said, looking at her blade.  
"Ok, if that that's what you want." Oliver said to her and she left the room. 


	52. Chapter 52

She went down to the desk and the receptionist called a limo for her. She caught it and ordered him to drive to the Great Pyramid. The drive was long, but eventually, after standing in traffic for an hour, they reached the pyramid.  
"I'll be waiting here for you Princess." The driver said to her as she got out.  
She smiled at him and walked over to a tour group that had just finished inside the pyramid.  
"I'm sorry, but I would like to go in on my own, if that's ok?" she asked the guide.  
He turned as to scold her and saw who she was.  
"Princess Charlotte, what are you doing here?" the French tour guide asked her, bowing his head slightly.  
"Sight seeing. Who do I need to talk to, to get to go in alone?" She asked him, looking around.  
He called a tour operator closer and they spoke in Egyptian. The other man got very aggravated and she felt Anukis getting agitated in her pocket. She took her out and said to her.  
"_He says it's against the laws. Charlie, we need to find those spells, or Kai and Alex are lost forever._" She whispered to her.  
She stepped up to the man and put her soft hand on his shoulder. He stopped fighting and looked at her.  
"It would mean a lot to my friend." She said, holding up her blade.  
His eyes drifted to her bit and it shone in his eyes like the purest gold.  
"A…Anukis…" he whispered to himself.  
He looked into Charlie's eyes and she smiled.  
"Yes, she said that she would like to visit her old prison. Is that okay?" she said to him.  
"Yes, yes, that is okay. Where you want to go?" the tour operator asked.  
She looked at the French guide and smiled.  
"He can take me." She said, looked at him.  
"The Great Burial Room?" she asked him.  
"Yes, of course." He said turning towards the pyramid.  
The tour operator touched her hand and she turned back to him.  
"May, I see Anukis, please?" he asked her.  
She looked at her blade and Anukis whispered in her ear.  
"_Show them. It's okay."_ She said to her.  
She smiled at the guide, who now had a group of people standing around him, mostly Egyptians. She smiled at them and took out her launcher. They had long since seen proof of their ancient kings. What more proof than an ancient protector to let them know they are still under protection. She loaded Anukis into her launcher and launched. She spun around in the sand and everyone stepped back.  
"Anukis come out, won't you?" Charlie asked her.  
The blade glowed blue and gold.  
"Oh, that's new. There was no blue in France." She said a golden beam brighter than the sun shot up into the sky.  
She beam widened and soon Anukis took form. She was bigger than Charlie had last seen her. The crowd fell silent as she growled at the frustration of being cooped up for too long. The beam faded and all that was left was a bigger than normal Anukis, towering above everyone. Charlie shielded her eyes as tears formed in the corners. Her colors here were so bright. Her golden coat shone in the light. Her collar and back armor looked like gems in the light. Anukis looked around and then at Charlie. Charlie walked to the front of her and smiled. Anukis lay down behind her in a plume of dust. Everyone looked at them in awe. Charlie turned to Anukis.  
"You're bigger now." She said, to her.  
"_The effects of being in my home kingdom_. _Egypt gives me strength and I give them hope._" Anukis said out loud.  
The women were wailing and the men were weeping. They had seen a form of a god and they were extremely happy. The children ran up to Anukis and began play in between her huge paws.  
"Anukis, I never knew how much you were loved." Charlie said to her, leaning against her.  
"_I am loved. I did great things for this kingdom when I was here last. And now, I'm about to do it again. We need to stop Biovault, or this will all disappear and the only thing left of this civilization, will be the things we leave behind. Like these pyramids. They are only proof of a great civilization."_ Anukis said to Charlie.  
"You will be here. You'll always be here, you're a sacred sprit." Charlie said.  
Anukis looked at her with her eyes that seemed to be rimmed in dark kohl makeup.  
"_But you won't be. I can't allow that to happen._" she said, getting up and shaking off the sand.  
"_As selfish as that seems, I need you be around me. I really like being with you_." Anukis said, disappearing into her blade.  
Charlie stepped up and picked it up off the ground.  
"I like you too, Anukis." She said, pocketing her blade.  
She looked to the tour guide and he led her into the pyramid. 


	53. Chapter 53

They made their way to the burial chamber. The room as cool and lit with a lamp in the ceiling. The guide left saying that he would be back to fetch her in ten minutes. She took out her blade and Anukis popped back out.  
"_Wow, not much has changed_." Anukis said, looking around.  
"It's an international heritage site now, it has to be protected. Is there any spell in here that can make you stronger?" she asked Anukis, touching the walls.  
"_Just being here will make me stronger. The spells I'm looking for are here. One of them has capability of breaking any spell or state of unnatural mind_." She said, looking at the walls.  
"That ought to come in handy." Charlie said looking at the spells on the walls.  
"_And the other is that trick Alex tried to teach you. A while ago._" Anukis said.  
"Yeah, but then her phone rang and she forgot, what about it?" Charlie asked her.  
"_It's that one, but Alex's version will be different to your version, as Bellona is Greek and I'm Egyptian. Ah, here it is._" She said, sitting down in front of the spell.  
She read it out loud and waited for Charlie to recite it. She got it wrong.  
"_Don't worry, this language hasn't been heard on earth for 4000 years._" Anukis said to her.  
"I hope I get it before tomorrow. What does it do?" Charlie said, leaning back on her hands after sitting down.  
"_It will give you the ability, through my magic, to control any bitbeast present at that time. It's a strong spell and can only be entrusted to those pure of heart._" Anukis added.  
"And you trust me?" Charlie asked her.  
"_Yes, I do_." Anukis smiled her toothy grin at her.  
"Then all I have to do, is bide my time until Alex and Kai summon Bellona and Dranzer, or as I fear, Black Dranzer, then I'll control the three most powerful bitbeasts there."  
"_Don't underestimate Wolborg. She's very strong too_." Anukis added.  
"Yes, but three on one, and then the Majestics too. We'll win for sure." Charlie said.  
"_Just be careful, I sense that they have lost their will to fight, to be the best._" Anukis warned her.  
"I will." She said, looking at Anukis.  
"_Now, for the spell breaking spell_." Anukis said, pointing to the spell next to it.  
"_That is another one that can help_." She added.  
Charlie recited it and almost got it right.  
"_As long as I'm there, I'll help you_." Anukis added, looking at Charlie's worried face.  
"Anukis, can I ask you something?" Charlie asked her.  
"_Of course_." She said, looking at her.  
"Khufu's tomb was plundered, wasn't it?" Charlie asked.  
Anukis got up and moved to look at Charlie.  
"_Yes, that's right_." Anukis replied.  
"You were charged with taking care of him, weren't you?" Charlie asked her. Anukis growled deep in her throat at the thought and blew steam out her nose.  
"_Yes, so_?" she replied.  
"Why didn't you, protect him, and his gold?" Charlie asked her.  
Anukis sighed and shifted.  
"_Khufu was a cruel Pharaoh. He didn't care about his people, or their welfare. He destroyed and bankrupted this country to build this pyramid, and all along, his people died of starvation, and disease. And his military campaigns, they were even worse. He forced young men to fight, and many died, and he felt no remorse. He had no sense of loss. He just wanted what he wanted, damned be the rest of the world. When he died, my vow came into play. I vowed to protect him, but 10 years into my vigil, I decided that he wouldn't do the same for me, so I broke my vow. That hole on the south side, I did that. I broke out, even though I was just in a jar_." She laughed.  
"_How I ended up in France is something I don't know, but I know, I'm glad I have you_." Anukis said.  
"How do I stack up as an owner, or partner, rather?" Charlie asked her.  
"_Well, of the two owners I've had, you're the best._" Anukis smiled.  
Charlie smiled back and began writing down the spells. They left and went back to the hotel, where Charlie practiced the remainder of the day, until the sun was setting. That's when the next phase began. 


	54. Chapter 54

She had just enough time to wash up, slip into her suit and hire a dirt bike before the sun had set completely. When asked by the owner, she answered that she was going for a midnight drive, and she wasn't lying, however when the Majestics asked her where she was going, she answered them frankly.  
"I need to collect intelligence, find the bunker, and find a map of the layout, that sort of thing." She said, flinging her rucksack over her shoulder and grabbing a helmet.  
"I'm coming with you." Johnny said, getting up.  
"No, you guys need to rest up for the fight tomorrow." She stopped him.  
She needed to do this alone. She didn't need any of them blowing her cover. If she ran into Tala, there was no telling what he could talk her into doing.  
"But you haven't rested." Robert pointed out.  
She looked at him for a second, dipped her head and her hair fell over her eyes. She sighed and looked at the ground.  
"I just need to find Kai and Alex. Then every thing will be okay." She said, walking over to the door.  
She put her hand on the handle and looked back over her shoulder.  
"Then I can rest." She said, opening to the door.  
She stood in the door way, feeling they needed more comforting.  
"Not a second until then." She said, walking out of the hotel room and closing it behind her.  
She leaned against the door on the outside. She was rather tired, and she could do with a nap.  
"_You need to rest, Charlie. You won't be any good if you fall asleep in battle, or worst, can't concentrate efficiently._" Anukis preached to her.  
"I know, I'll rest when I get back, but for now I need to press on." She said, and began walking down the hall to the hotel foyer.  
The bike she had hired had been delivered to the front desk, along with many disgusted looks from fellow patrons. She took the bike, and got on, riding out the hotel foyer and speeding up the road, heading south out of Cairo. When she was clear of the city lights, she stopped and switched off the bike. She took her helmet off, swung her bag around and opened it, digging in it for something. She took out a satellite phone and dialed the number for her team back in France. It rang once and was picked up.  
"Princess, tell us what you need?" one man asked her.  
"I need you to pick up on my position in Egypt, using this phone." She heard a few beeps and then the man talked again.  
"We have you. 20 kilometers south west of Cairo. What next?" he asked.  
"I need you to hack into the electricity grid and see where a lot of power is being used. It would be somewhere remote, with no sign of life, except for the electricity usage." She said.  
She heard typing of fingers and then two beeps showed up.  
"We have two in your area. One looks to at a nearby temple, but I know they're doing restoration there, so it must be the other place. It's 16 kilometers directly south from your current position." He said to her.  
"Thank you. Please inform the government of my route. I'll be in touch." She said to him.  
"Good luck princess." He said, hanging up.  
She put the phone away and put her helmet back on. She started up the bike and drove on. 


	55. Chapter 55

After 16 kilometers, she switched off her bike and left it behind a dune. She walked around the dune and began climbing another one. As she summated it, she saw the entrance of a bunker. This one was clearly under ground. There were two guards, each with a gun and a beyblade launcher strapped to their belts. To one of there belts was a flimsy piece of paper, she guessed it was a map. She heard a siren sound once and the guards became restless and opened the door.  
"How about a light breeze to lift the map off, Anukis? Sandstorm chaos." She initiated her attack ability.  
A fierce wind whipped up and ripped the map off his belt. He was to busy trying to get out of the mini sand storm to notice that the map was floating quite serenely over to Charlie. She grabbed it out of thin air and the storm died down.  
"Thank you." Charlie said, looking at the map.  
She traced the map with her finger, seeing offices and training arenas close together. She would have to be careful. She had to move, the changing of the guard would not last very long. She got up and raced to the entrance, slipping in and walking down the air conned hall.  
"A sandstorm, at this time of night." She heard someone say.  
This isn't Russia anymore." Another said.  
She guessed it was the replacing guards. She saw a closet, opened it and slipped in. She saw the shadows of the man walk past the entrance.  
"Hey do you smell something?" he asked the other.  
"Yeah, I do." The other said.  
"Smells like J' adore," he said, sniffing the air.  
"Gold Supreme." He said, finishing his sentence.  
They had smelled her perfumed body wash.  
"How do you know this?" the first asked him.  
"I like that smell." He said, to the other.  
There was a silence and the other walked off.  
"You're so gay." He laughed.  
The other man ran after him and protested.  
"I AM NOT!" he said, going out the door and closing it.  
She sighed and looked at Anukis in her hand.  
"That was close." She whispered to Anukis and she glowed in recognition.  
She opened the door and checked both directions before moving on deeper into the compound. She heard the low hum of machines first, and then came the sounds of metal blades crashing into each other as she got deeper. She heard shouting. She heard Alex, Tyson, Max and Kai shouting at each other.  
"Kai…" she said to herself, heading in the direction of the screams.  
She walked down the dark hall and the sounds grew stronger, but with those sounds were new sounds. The sounds of someone being hurt, badly, screaming in pain, pounding of bodies against hard floors. Her heart raced as she reached the end of the hall and stepped into the light. She looked around and saw no one so she stepped up to the railing. She put her hands on the cold metal bars and looked into the auditorium beneath her. There they were. Tyson, Ray, Max, Alex, a few other bladers that she didn't recognize and Kai. Kenny was in the corner, at a computer analyzing their blades. They were all blading each other harshly, like their humanity had been stripped bare, but other than that and tired, they all looked, okay. Why hadn't they escaped yet, she had snuck in so easily. Charlie turned her attention to the person Kai was blading. It was Tala.  
"Bastard…" Charlie whispered to herself.  
She watched a little longer, until something caught her attention. Something in Kai's eyes changed. Tala had attacked Black Dranzer and Kai had taken the hit hard. He knelt down on one knee, leaning heavily on his fist against the floor, breathing hard. His hair fell over his eyes and Charlie felt a tear well up. Then she saw it, his eyes flicked from black back to grey. He looked up at Tala and smiled the normal smile he did when he was about to decimate an opponent.  
"Still fighting it, hey Kai?" Tala shouted at him.  
All the other stopped what they were doing and looked over to the last dish in the auditorium.  
"I'll…never…stop…Tala." He breathed looking up at Tala from the floor.  
He struggled up and looked at Tala.  
"I'll never stop fighting you." He said, calming down now.  
Charlie felt like calling out to him. Telling him that it was okay now, that she was here, calling to him to keep fighting, keep strong. But she knew that on her own, she had no chance of getting them out of here. Tala called back his blade and caught it. He strolled over to Kai and stood next to him, facing in the opposite direction.  
"You think she's coming to save you." Tala whispered to him.  
Kai looked at him and saw Charlie standing on the top level of the auditorium and smiled. She placed her finger to her lips to tell him to keep quiet.  
"I do. Sooner than you think." Kai said to Tala, looking at him.  
"Well, you're wrong. She's so weak, she can't do anything. Her stronger half is here. I have her sister too. Without Alex, Charlie is nothing. Without you, she's nothing." Tala gestured toward Alex.  
"Charlie went toe to toe with Alex in the tournament, if she hadn't seen you; I bet she would have won. She's come a long way in a year Tala. Better than you and I could ever have done. She has a gift." Kai explained.  
Charlie saw Tala's expression turn dark and then she saw his arm pull back and his hand clump into a fist. Charlie sunk down to the floor as she heard Kai cry out. She put her hand over her mouth as to stop her from screaming. She closed her eyes and wished she was there to help him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard him scream harder as Tala kicked him in the stomach. She mustered up enough strength to look over the rim again. She turned over and peeped over. She saw Kai lying on the floor, clutch his stomach. Tala was leaning over him.  
"Even if she does come, which I doubt, you'll be gone by then. After this, you're not coming back again. Goodbye, Kai Hiwatari." He said to him and gestured to the guards to take him away.  
As they carried him away, he looked up to where she was standing and winked at her. She smiled at him and winked back. She felt the tears running down her cheeks as he disappeared behind a wall. She heard them coming up the elevator and she ran and hid in a dark hall. She watched as they dragged Kai past the hall. She edged closer to the light and saw them take him into a room. After a few seconds, they came out. They walked past the hall and as they rounded the corner, she checked they were gone, and then stalked silently to Kai's cell. She got to the door and read that this wasn't a cell, it was the lab. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she remembered what had happened to her last time she was in a Biovault lab. She put her hand on the handle and opened the door.  
The room was dark, except for a green cylindrical tube in the corner. She saw Kai was lying to a stretcher. She quietly closed the door behind her.  
"Get on with it Tala. So I can start fighting it again." Kai said to her, thinking she was Tala.  
She had seen that Tala was still busy blading down below. He would be busy for a while still. She smiled and silently walked up to him. She put her hand on his arm and he opened his eyes and looked at her. They were darker than normal, like they were teetering on the edge of evil. He sighed and smiled.  
"Charlie." He said softly.  
She saw that he was strapped down and began working to free him.  
"He'll be here soon, hurry up." He said, impatiently.  
She took out her blade and used the sharp edge to try and cut the leather.  
"No, he's still blading. Where's Boris?" she asked him.  
"I have no idea, I haven't seen him at all, ow…" he said as her hand and blade slipped and gashed his arm.  
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." She said, trying to stem the bleeding.  
"It's okay; just get me out of here. Did you come alone?" he asked her.  
She looked at him. She came here on a dirt bike. She could only take one person with her. She stopped and stepped back from him.  
"Charlie…what's wrong…Charlotte, talk to me." He said to her as the cogs in her head were working.  
"If I get you out of here, then they'll know I was here and they'll disappear with Alex. If I take Alex, I lose you." She said, looking at him.  
He looked at her and sighed.  
"Go get Alex, I'll get out some other way." He said, looking away from her.  
She stepped up to him and forced him to look at her.  
"But I love you, I can't lose you, not again." She said, almost in a whisper.  
"She's your sister." He said simply.  
And that was enough. They both knew that family as important. But she considered both of them family. 


	56. Chapter 56

"Get me the charts for Kai." She heard Tala's voice booming down the hall outside.  
"Go, run, before he gets here." Kai nearly screamed at her.  
She looked at the door, and saw the shadow appearing under it and then she looked back at Kai. She kissed him. It was rough but as soon as she was kissing him, it became soft and tender. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.  
"Run." He said to her.  
She looked at the door. They were too close now; she would have to hide in here somewhere.  
"I'm coming back tomorrow." She said, kissing him one last time.  
She looked around the room and saw a door at the end of the room. She ran up to it and ripped the door open, closing it quietly just as Tala opened the lab door.  
"This is it Kai, your last conscious moments. How does it feel?" Tala said to him. Charlie was watching through the glass window in the door. Tala had a lab coat on, and had a clip board with him. She assumed it was Kai's charts that he had bellowed for.  
"Bite me, screwball." Kai said to him.  
Tala laughed and walked to the other side of the room. He opened a cabinet and walked back over to Kai. He had a syringe in his hand. He lifted the plastic needle encasing off and squirted some of the green liquid into the air.  
"Think about your last words carefully Kai, these will be your last. One more time." Tala said, holding the syringe in the air.  
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. How's that?" Kai said to him.  
Tala smiled and grabbed Kai's forearm and Kai clenched his hand into a fist. For the first time ever, Charlie saw fear in Kai's eyes. It was a terrifying sight. He was normally so cool and collected. The sound of Kai's arm been rammed into the table reverberated through the room.  
"I'm really going to enjoy doing this. Goodbye." He said, plunging the needle into the crook of Kai's arm.  
He screamed blue murder as the needle went into his artery. He pulled back on the plunger and Kai's blood flooded the syringe. Then Tala's face changed. As Kai was screaming, a smiled played across his face. He really was enjoying it. He put his thumb on the plunger and pressed down, sending the black liquid into Kai's system. Kai went still and Charlie felt her heart stop, thinking he was dead. Everything was deadly silent. She thought that if Kai was dead, then she would reveal herself to Tala. Life wasn't worth living without him. Then Kai drew in a deep breathe and her heart started up again, but then she wished he hadn't breathed. The silence was shattered by a bloodcurdling scream. Like nothing Charlie had ever heard before. The sound of pure pain running through Kai's veins. Charlie could see in the dark that the green of the syringe was running up his arm slowly, burning its way up to his heart. Time slowed down, everything became quiet in her mind as she watched Kai screaming and writhing against his restraints, the green winding up his arm, her heart beating in her ears. It disappeared under the tank top he was wearing and as it reached where she though his heart would be, everything stopped.  
Kai stopped moving midway through another writhe, his chest collapsed and he fell limp on the stretcher. He wasn't breathing, wasn't moving, nothing. Her heart stopped as they brought a heart monitor closer and hooked him up. The long, soft, continuous beep was as loud as a bomb blast in Charlie's ears. His heart had stopped. He was dead. She stepped back from the window as they covered Kai with a sheet and left. She turned around and looked away. She covered her mouth as the tears flowed out her wide, shocked eyes. The pain in her chest was unbearable. It was if she could physically feel her heart tearing in half.  
"Well, that was dramatic." Tala said, taking off the gloves and lab coat and handing them to someone else.  
Charlie sank down to the floor and lay down. She felt nothing. The cold spread from her heart to her rest of her body. Kai was dead. Her hopes and dreams for them were dead. The thought of getting married to him, having kids with him, spending a long happy life with him…was dead.  
"Maybe three times the normal dosage would, kill someone. We'll have to see." Tala said, walking towards his office, at the end of the room.  
Charlie saw his shadow appear under the door and looked around for another hiding place. She saw the desk and quickly crawled towards it. She hid under it as the lights came on.  
"Sir, are you sure that Kai will be alright, no one but him can control Black Dranzer?" a lab assistant asked him.  
"We'll have to see. If he's dead, then good riddance, then I can finally get his girlfriend. If not, well, I'm sure Charlie won't want him like this anyway. So either way, I win." He said, moving around to his chair and sitting down.  
Charlie curled up at the far end as he thrust his feet under the desk.  
"Maybe three times the dose did kill him, how long should we wait until putting him in the machine?" the lab assistant asked.  
"Wait 12 hours. That should do it this time." Tala said and Charlie heard the door close. 


	57. Chapter 57

Tala picked something up and then all the monitors in the room went on. Charlie heard the others blading and breathing hard. She shifted her weight and the monitors went silent. She hoped Tala hadn't heard her. He pulled his chair back and dipped his head under the desk and looked her right in the eyes. He closed his eyes and sighed.  
"I thought I smelled you, what you are doing here?" he asked her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out from under the desk.  
He pushed her up onto the desktop and looked at her.  
"I, um, dropped something." She said, looking at him.  
She was so angry, so hurt by what he had done.  
"You're always popping up where you shouldn't be, one would think that you would've learnt by now." He said, touching her face and brushing the hair out of her eyes.  
Then she remembered that he still loved her. She turned on the charm as much as she could.  
"I know that's the way you like it, Tala." She said, running her thumb over his lips.  
"I know how you feel about me Tala." She said, placing her hand on the side of his face.  
"Tell me what Boris is planning. Please, then I might let you kiss me." She said, tempting him into telling her everything.  
He smiled and leaned in as she leaned back.  
"Nah uh. Tell me first." She said softly.  
He sighed and looked at her, not letting her up.  
"Boris is dead. I've been made Director of Operations of Biovault." He said to her softly, very matter of fact.  
She frowned at him and smiled.  
"No, you're lying." She said, to him.  
He raised one eyebrow and she knew he was telling the truth.  
"Really. How?" she asked him.  
He sighed and looked away.  
"A tragic train accident, pity really. Who knew the platform was so, slippery?" he said, winking at her.  
"You pushed him, but why?" she asked him.  
"So I could get Biovault. I'm the only one Voltaire trusts now." He said to her.  
She looked at him and wondered what he was thinking.  
"Now that I have everyone dancing to my beat, I can have everything I want. All the time." He said, leaning in to kiss her.  
She kissed him back as good as she could but he noticed something was off. He broke the kiss and looked at her.  
"How long have you been here?" he asked her.  
She wanted to scream at him long enough to see you, kill the man I love, but she couldn't. She had to think about getting Alex out now.  
"Oh, hours, I fell asleep under your desk, and woke up when you kind of, kicked me." She said to him, hoping her fell for it.  
"Tala, do you ever think about the time when were together?" she asked him, throwing him off the scent of deception.  
"All the time, it was the best few months of my life." He said.  
"But, I assume you haven't found Kai, that's why you're here, right?' he asked her. She had to play along, where ever it was going.  
"No, I'm here to see you. I think he may have used the bomb scare to get away from me again. Sometimes, I'm a little, intense." She said, stroking his face.  
"If Kai doesn't want me, I know someone who does." She said, smiling at him.  
"Kai isn't a problem anymore?" he asked her.  
She shook her head.  
"He left me, twice. He's had his chances. Now I want you, Tala." She said to him.  
He took hold of her hand and looked at the defense ring on her finger.  
"You're still wearing his ring. Why?" he asked her.  
Her head drew a blank and so she began to cry. She turned her head away from him.  
"It's…still…so…hard to accept…that he doesn't…want…me." she cried.  
"Well if it makes you feel any better, I have word of him. Would you like to hear?" he asked her.  
She looked at him and wiped her tears away.  
"I heard that he got into some trouble, and he's gone. He's never coming back." He said to her.  
"Why, has something happened to him?" she asked him.  
He looked out the window. Kai was lying in the other room, and the venom was taking effect, but she couldn't know this.  
"Let's just say he's not going to be a problem ever again. He's gone for good." He smiled at her.  
He wiped her tears away and smiled at her.  
"We can be together again." He said, leaning over to kiss her again.  
She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her. She couldn't deny that she had feelings for him. A whole host of feelings, one of which was lust. He leaned closer to her, not breaking the kiss and leaned his hands either side of her hips on the desk. He broke the kiss and savored the moment. Her taste was like drugs to him. She licked her lips and looked at him. She had to remind herself that this man had just killed Kai and she was supposed to hate him for it. But she couldn't, at least no entirely. He slowly reached up and took hold of her zipper and began to unzip it. He got to her chest and she put her hand over his.  
"Tala, I don't want to disappoint you." She whispered, beginning to blush.  
She looked away from him. He took her head in his hand and made her look at him.  
"Why would I be disappointed? I love you." he asked her  
"You, were the last person, I was with. I'm afraid I may have become a little rusty." She said to him, touching his chest.  
"Then I'll just have to give you a refresher course." He said, using his body to push her down completely onto the desk.  
"You don't need to worry about anything." He said, before kissing her tenderly.  
He kissed her deeply, slowly, seductively. She felt herself standing on this slippery slope again. Slipping closer and closer to Tala and further from Kai. But the fact was she loved Kai more than she loved Tala. But for now, she needed to pose to have a relationship with him to get in. So that is what she would do. Play the game. He stepped back and unzipped his pants and stepped closer again. She stopped him with a hand on his chest.  
"If you want me, I mean really want me, then you're gong to have to win me all over again." She said, pushing him back and getting off the desk.  
She zipped her suit back up and looked at him.  
"It'll be worth the wait." She added.  
She began to walk away when she felt his hand on her arm. He pulled her back, to another door in the room. He opened it and walked into the dark room. He pulled her in and she saw the light from the office die out and she heard the door lock.  
"Tala, what are you doing?" she asked him.  
She heard him step closer to her, but he didn't touch her yet. Then she felt his hot breath on her face.  
"The time for playing coy is over." He said, pulling her up against him.  
She felt his hard ripped muscles under his clothes, moving rhythmically against her. She felt herself slipping even further than before. She wanted him for real now. She felt for his face and kissed him roughly, reaching for his belt. He reached up and grasped her suit zipper. He ripped it down, and peeled off her suit, revealing her soft creamy skin. He stopped and stared for a second, then began kissing her collar bone. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, savoring his hot lips on her skin. She looked around and realized what she was doing and felt a kick in her stomach, telling something was wrong. It was Anukis, thumping in the pocket. She pushed Tala away and kissed him gently on lips.  
"What's the rush? Like you say, Kai's gone for good. We can take it slow." She said, pushing him away from her and doing up her suit again.  
"If you want, I can come back tomorrow, and then we can start this thing right." She teased him.  
He sighed and switched on the light.  
"Okay, I'll walk you out." He said, opening the door for her. She walked out, into the office, then out into the lab. She wanted to look at Kai, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Her heart went cold as she passed him. This was the last time she'd see him, and she didn't have the guts to look. She glanced over and saw the body under the sheet.  
"I love you Kai." She thought to herself as she walked out of the lab.  
Tala walked her out to the exit.  
"I'll be back tomorrow, seven. That okay?" she asked as she retrieved the dirt bike.  
"Sure. I'll be waiting." He said, watching her she rode off. 


	58. Chapter 58

She drove for a while and had to stop. She stopped the bike and looked back. She was out. She had the map, and Tala thought they were back together. She got off the bike and sat down in the sand. She lay down on the ground and looked up at the stars.  
"Kai, can you hear me?" she asked herself.  
"I miss you already. I feel… nothing. I've never felt like this. Not even when you left. I was angry, but now… nothing. I swear even though I'm in the middle of a desert, I feel so cold." She said, feeling the tears running down her face.  
"Can I share a secret with you?" she said, as if waiting for a response.  
"Here it goes, I wasn't going to insist that you marry me, because I already know that are mine. Were, mine. All I wanted was to be yours. And a family, I wanted to give you a family. Of your own. I was even going to let you choose their names. They would have looked like you. Blue hair, grey eyes, beautiful. They would have loved you as much as I loved, love, you." She stopped and realized that she must seem mad. Having a conversation by herself. She decided then that she would never marry anyone. Her soul mate was gone. And she would never find another.  
"You were the most beautiful man I've ever known. Your heart and soul was good. Is good. I love you, forever." She said, finally.  
Anukis glowed in her pocket and she took it out. She saw a tear roll out of the bit and hit the ground.  
"I know." Charlie said to her.  
She got back on the bike and headed back to the hotel. When she got there, they were all sleeping. She was glad for that, that she didn't have to explain why her eyes were red and puffy. She jumped under the shower and went to bed. She lay awake the whole night, thinking of the future she would have had. How wonderful it would have been. 


	59. Chapter 59

The next morning, she lay there, staring at the ceiling. She had managed to get some sleep, but nothing could dull this pain in her chest. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that her heart had quiet literally broken in little pieces. She sat up and looked out the window. Her sister was out there. And she had to pull through for Alex. After everything, she would maybe take a holiday. Come to grips with every thing. She thought of Dranzer. Who would she go to now? Would Voltaire take her back, or would Tala give to someone else. She looked at Anukis on her side table and thought that she had to take Dranzer too. She was Kai's family and therefore, hers. She swung her legs out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. She wiped her face, and looked herself in the mirror. She saw a tear run down her cheek, but she couldn't remember crying. She must have been crying all along. She wiped her face again and got dressed. She went out into the sitting room to see the Majestics eating breakfast.  
"Morning." Oliver said as he dished in more Eggs Benedict for the boys.  
"Morning." she replied, sitting down as he dished in an egg for her.  
"How did you sleep?" Johnny asked her.  
She looked at him. They had to know Kai was dead and their mission was to save Alex, Dranzer and the others. She had to tell them, but she didn't have the guts to say the words.  
"Uh, not so well. Rolled around the whole night." She said, picking up her knife and fork.  
"And how did your little fact finding mission go?" Robert asked her.  
She looked at him. She felt the tear run down her cheek. They all stopped and looked at her as she wiped the tear away.  
"I found a map to the compound. It's mostly underground. It's Biovault launching its world domination plans again. I bumped into Tala, and he's running it now. Boris is dead." the last word rolled so casually over her lips.  
She carried on. She had to relay the info to them.  
"Tala has them all. Tyson, Ray, Max, Alex, Kenny and a few other bladers I don't recognize. He has them under sort of daze. Tala is expecting me tonight. He thinks I want to rekindle my romance with him." They all looked at each other and then Robert asked the question she was dreading.  
"And Kai. Does he have Kai too?" he asked.  
Her heart stopped. His name burned into her soul, leaving a hole where he would have been if he was still alive.  
"Kai is… gone." She said to them.  
They looked at each other as she stood up and walked to the window.  
"I saw him last night, putting up a fight with Tala. They carried him to the lab, and injected him with something. It could only have been venom or poison or something." She said, rubbing her eyes.  
She didn't know how much crying she could take.  
"He went into convulsions and as I watched, he … died." She said.  
It was the first time she had acknowledged that he was gone. She stared out over the desert and felt her heart break even more. They looked at her as she stepped back towards the table and sat down.  
"Alex is still there. And so is Dranzer. If we can, I want to try and take the whole building down. But if we can't save everyone, we just go for Alex. I want to try and get Dranzer out. But if we can't, only Alex." She said to them, looking at her food. She wasn't hungry.  
"I'm so sorry." Robert said to her.  
Enrique reached out and took hold of her hand and the others fumed quietly in the background.  
"We'll get her back. Don't worry." Robert said to her.  
"Thank you. All of you. Now that I know what Tala is capable of, I have to stop him." She said looking at her team. 


	60. Chapter 60

They spent the day getting to know the layout of the bunker. At sunset they met the plane on the tarmac. Charlie looked at her blade and then at the plane. This was it. She was getting Alex out of that place, not matter what it cost her. They climbed onto the plane and it took off towards the bunker. They were all silent as the drop zone came up. She got up from her seat and opened the door. She looked back at the team behind her and they jumped.  
They landed nearby and walked until they were behind the dune where she had left the bike last night. They lay silently as waited till the last of the lingering light was gone. When the bunker lights came on, the time was near. They heard the sound of blading from inside the building.  
"I want to thank all of you for coming again. If you want to turn back now, I won't blame you." She said.  
They all looked at her and nodded. They were in. As they watched, the guard changed and Johnny looked at Charlie.  
"We can take them. Salamalyon can take them all." He said to her.  
She looked at him and nodded. They all called out their bitbeasts and they were in awe at how much Anukis had changed since the last time they had seen her in the finals.  
"She looks bigger." Robert said to her.  
She smiled at him. He was right.  
"She is native to Egypt, so being in her home country gives her the advantage of a power boost."  
The guards had seen nothing as the five bitbeasts took them down to the ground and Anukis dragged them away. She came back and spoke with Charlie.  
"_I hear someone coming_." She said to her.  
Charlie held her team back.  
"She says someone's coming out." She told the others.  
Just then, Tala, Alex and Tyson appeared in the doorway.  
"Alex." Robert said to her.  
Just then, a silhouette she loved so much appeared behind them. She thought she was dreaming, but no, it was _his_ silhouette. Most definitely his. Kai appeared next to Alex. Her heart stopped. He was alive. She felt her legs pulling her towards him, but Robert pulled her back down. She looked at him and then Enrique spoke to her.  
"Look at his eyes." Enrique said to her.  
She looked at his eyes. Where there should have been grey, there was black. Pitch black. They looked around and Tala looked at his watch. After making sure everything was okay, they left again, going into the bunker. Kai went in last.  
"What the hell was wrong with his eyes?" Oliver asked her.  
"I think I know." Charlie said as they snuck into the bunker.  
They sneaked all the way to the auditorium where the others were blading. She led them to the dark hall where she hid the day before.  
"Tala has a machine that can regenerate energy. The blader doesn't need to sleep, eat, anything. If his energy runs out, he goes back into this machine, and his energy is regenerated." She explained.  
They looked at her and she answered the question before they could ask it.  
"I was Boris' first guinea pig for the machine." She said, looking over the railings. They could see Alex battling Ray and Kai battling Tyson. Max was battling someone else, when he buckled and fell down. The guards quickly ran up to him, and carried him away. Up the stairs, and down the hall to the lab where Kai was last night. A few minutes later, they cam out with Max following them. His eyes were still blue, although very lifeless.  
"I guess your eyes only go black after you're killed and brought back." Johnny said to them.  
"That's right. The same happened to me. Boris had his bladers practice on me and his scientists do experiments on me until I had no more energy left. I died a few times, but every time, he brought me back. My eyes got darker every time and my hair got lighter. Eventually I had white hair and black eyes. I must have looked so scary." She said.  
"They must have upgraded the machine to not change their looks, whereby fooling the public into thinking that nothing has changed. That they are still the bladers they know and love." Robert thought out loud.  
"If we find the machine, and destroy it, then they have no way of regenerating their energy. We can take them all at once. They all look tired." Oliver said.  
Just then Tala stepped into view, looking at his watch again.  
"He's expecting me. Give me a few minutes, and then we can go to the lab. You two try and lure the bladers outside. The three of us will go destroy the lab." she said, asking Johnny and Robert to get the bladers out.  
They all nodded and she stepped out into the light, looking at the bladers below. Tala glanced over and smiled at her.  
"You made it." He said, walking over to her. 


	61. Chapter 61

She smiled at him as he walked up to her side and looked down at the bladers. Kai was back down there.

"Of course, you doubted me? Is that Kai down there?" she said, not flinching at his glance.

"I didn't doubt you. And yes, that is Kai. But I can assure you. He's not the same Kai you knew. Black Dranzer has completely taken over him. It's quite weird; she seems to have possessed him." He said, reaching out and moving her loose hair away from her neck before kissing it lightly. She turned to him and smiled.

"It's okay Tala. You don't need to make excuses for him anymore. He doesn't want me. There's nothing anyone can do about that. You said it yourself, I may as well spend time with someone who wants to be with me." she said, looking at Kai down below.  
His eyes were still black as night. Maybe Tala was right. Maybe Black Dranzer had possessed him.  
"If he has Black Dranzer, then where is Dranzer? I know he had it on him when he left." She asked Tala, looking at him.  
She played the card her sister had taught her. She looked at him with her big brown eyes.

"Ah, you and those eyes, here." Tala said, pulling Dranzer out of his pocket.  
"Don't make me regret giving it to you." He said, handing it to her.  
She took it and clamped her fingers around it.

"Never. I just like her, that's all. I won't give her back to Kai." She said, pocketing his blade.  
"Now, everything seems to going well down there, how about we get this little party going?" he asked, reaching for her zipper.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her, pulling him into a kiss. He pushed her back into the wall and lifted up her one leg. She wrapped it around his waist. She broke the kiss and enjoyed this moment. It would be the last.

"You obviously like where this was going last night?" she asked him, slipping her hand under his shirt and rubbing his stomach.

"Very much." He said, pulling her away from the wall and unzipping her suit.  
He peeled it down to her hips and looked at her exposed upper body.  
"Your scars have healed nicely." He said, running his hand over the scar he had put there.

"Can I ask you one thing, before we go on?" she asked him.  
He looked at her and put his hand on her cheek.

"Anything." He said, pulling her into a dark hallway as the guards came down the passage.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you working for Biovault again?" she asked him. He was distracted by her bra, but soon looked up at her.

"I don't know. I guess, I know what to expect with them. And they can make me stronger." He said, thinking about all the reasons.

"Tala, I'm sure you can have a normal life, with a girl who loves you. A family. Surely you want that. Why give yourself to Voltaire? Why do you keep coming back here?" she asked him.

"Because Kai couldn't do it. I want what Kai had." He snapped and yelled at her.  
He looked down at the ground and slammed his fist into the wall. This didn't scare her anymore.  
"Sorry. But a living grandfather, even though he's a dick. He's Kai's family. He has a beautiful, smart, funny girlfriend, and a life that I want. He is everything I want to be." He said, looking at her.  
She saw a glint as a tear rolled down his cheek.  
"I have no one." He said to her.  
"No one but Biovault and Voltaire." He said, stroking her face.  
In this moment, it was hard for her to do what was necessary. She knew his history. He really did have no one. She touched his face and wiped his tear away.

"You have me." she said, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the lips.  
He pulled her into him, and lowered her down to the ground. He tried to pin her down but she flipped him over and sat on top of him.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise." He said, grabbing her hips.  
She smiled at him and leaned down to kiss him again. She relished this last kiss and she reached for the syringe in her pocket. She waited for the kiss to be finished, then sat up and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Tala. I really am." She said, plunging into the needle into his thigh.  
She pressed the plunger and the sedative went into him.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.  
He reached up and then his arm fell down, limp.

"It's a muscle relaxant. You'll be down for half an hour." She said, getting up off him and zipping up her suit.  
"Tala, you are capable of being good." She said, bending down and stroking his face. "I've seen it. That little girl in the park who dropped her ice cream. You bought her another one. If you were good, then I might have a hard choice choosing you or Kai. But Kai is good. And until you choose to be good, you won't be happy. It's Kai. It's always been Kai. I'm sorry. But now might be a good time to review your life. Maybe you can be good for this world. If you just make the choice." She said, standing up. She whistled and the Majestics came around the corner.

"Are we on?" Robert asked her.  
She looked at Tala and smiled.

"We have half an hour. Get to the bladers. We'll see you later." She said as Robert and Johnny ran off.  
Oliver and Enrique walked out into the hall and watched as she stood over Tala.

"You coming?" Oliver asked her.

"Yeah. Go, I'll catch up." She said to them.  
They looked at each other and walked off.

"Tala. This little thing we had. It's over. I never want to see you again. Not until you change." She said, walking away from him.

She ran out into hall and down to the lab. She burst into the lab to see Enrique and Oliver looking for the machine.

"That's it, in the corner." She said, walking up to the chrome cylinder.  
She took out Anukis and launched her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Dranzer. She launched her too and waited for the others bitbeasts. The room was rather crowed with the four bitbeasts. They all looked at her, waiting for their orders.

"Destroy it. Any way you can. Get rid of it." She said.  
She heard screaming outside the lab and she recognized the voice.

"Guys, its Kai, run!" Robert shouted towards them.  
Oliver went to the door and walked out as the spirits pounded on the machine. She heard the metal breaking under the pressure. Oliver looked at them with horror in his eyes.

"Kai's coming." He said to her as he came back into the room with wide eyes.

"I'll distract him. Keep trying to destroy the machine." She said, stepping towards the door.

She looked up and saw Kai's silhouette in the doorway, looking at her. He was breathing heavily. He had black Dranzer in his hand and she was smoking. He had obviously just finished a battle with Robert.

"Kai…" she said, stopping, but then walking up to him.  
Enrique and Oliver turned to face him, but she stopped them. They turned their attention back to the machine. She walked up to him and touched his cheek.  
"Kai…" she said to him.  
He looked at her and she was shocked by just how lifeless his eyes looked.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" he asked her.  
Her heart stopped. He really didn't know who she was.

"My name is Charlotte. And I know you pretty well, Kai. You would never do something like this." She touched his face and he stepped back from her.

"I don't know you." He said, taking up his launcher and launching Black Dranzer straight at her chest.

Black hit red and gold as Dranzer and Anukis stopped Black Dranzer from hitting her. Charlie stepped back and shielded her eyes from the intense light that had burst out from that collision. The three blades fell to the ground and Charlie and Kai picked up their respective blades. Kai then stood up and looked up and down at her.

"That's never happened before." He said to her.

"Anukis and Dranzer protected me. Do you remember Dranzer? Kai, do you remember… me?" she asked him.

He looked at her blankly. She knew then that the only way to get to him was by using Anukis' spell. The sound of the alarm coming on filled the building. The others looked around and then back at Charlie.

"Someone must have found Tala." She said, looking towards Kai.  
Kai slowly stepped back into the hall and looked around.

"I FOUND THEM. THE INTRUDERS ARE HERE!" he shouted.  
The others in the room grabbed their blades and looked at Charlie as they ran out past Kai.

She looked at Kai, holding his gaze, slowly walking past him, but he didn't make to stop her. She thought that somewhere down in there, Kai was there. She walked past him out into the hall. She looked around and saw the guards coming towards her and the others. They took off in the opposite direction. She stood there and watched as her carefully designed plan started to crumble. She turned and ran after the others. They had found Robert and Johnny, who had been battling Alex, and made their way to the exit. They ran down the long sterile halls, the sounds of gun shots and roaring animals behind them as they finally reached the exit and burst out into the desert. They stopped and looked around. They had to come up with a plan to get away, or hold them off.

"Where's the plane?" Robert asked her.

"I told them to give us three hours. It hasn't even been one. They're not here." She said, looking back at the exit.  
"All we can do is hold them off." She said, as the other turned to face the exit. 


End file.
